Choices
by Kessafan
Summary: Some choices are made for you, some you make yourself. Some are made under duress, some are made by fate. Bella's born into a life she didn't want but everything happens for a reason right? Kidnapped, Bella has a new life choice in front of her. Which way will she go? E&B
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Characters belong to the one and only SM, I just wanna shake 'em up a bit!  
A/N at the bottom...

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Chapter 1

Isabella Swan was cold…

It was the first thing her muddled mind grasped onto when she woke up. But after having that thought, she quickly realised that not only was she cold, but she was wet too. She also knew that her eyes were open, even though the world around her was as dark as when they were closed. The heavy smell of damp, dirty surroundings invaded her senses and even though she couldn't see it, she could feel the dirt and grime coating her skin.

A violent shiver racked its way through her body; one that was equal measure of temperature and fear. Bella wasn't stupid; she knew that her current situation was not a good one to be in. As she sat up, she tried to pull her skirt as far over her knees as she could but it didn't do much good, she was still cold. Her eyes closed tight as she tried to think of the last thing she could remember. She was walking home from work; she'd just finished her shift at the coffee shop and was taking her regular route to her small loft that she rented near the college. She remembered up to the part where she'd been about halfway home… and... she was grabbed from behind.

The sound of a key in a door lock and a handle being turned sounded out in front of her, instantly pulling her away from the memory of when she was taken. Her heart skipped a beat before taking off faster than it had even gone before and her eyes open wide in hopes of seeing who had kidnapped her but she quickly realised her mistake when blinding white light ripped through her eyes and brain. The stabbing pain made her already muddled head feel as if it was about implode.

"About time you woke up."…a deep male voice said in front of her. Temporarily blinded, Bella couldn't make out any features of the man before the door closed and she was once more shrouded in darkness, only this time there was colored splotches where the light had burned its way onto her cornea.

"Who are you?" Bella asked as forcefully as she could.

"Doesn't matter, all you need to worry about is not doing anything to piss me off." Bella could hear that the man was pacing, she didn't understand how he could see where he was going. Dread filled her as she realised what was really going on.

"You've just signed you death warrant." Bella whispered. She didn't know if this idiot had actually planned on taking her or if she'd been taken on a whim only for him to realise who she was and was now panicking… Either way, she just hoped that she stayed alive long enough for her father to find her; her father, the mob boss.

"I know exactly what I've done." The man said. Bella didn't know if that knowledge made her predicament worse or not. "But some of us don't always have a choice in life."

"You always have a choice."

"Or the illusion of one at least." He mumbled. "Here's how things are going to play out. You're going to be good and not give me any trouble and one day soon, you'll be back with your family and you'll never see me again."

"Or, I'll be good and one day I'll be back with my family while they kill you in the longest, most painful way possible."

A deep, unamused chuckle came from the darkness to my right. "Maybe… but at least it'll all be for a good cause."

 _Well, that wasn't what I was expecting._ Isabella thought to herself. "What does that mean?" A good ten seconds passed before she got a reply.

"Are you allergic to anything?"

 _What?_ "Shellfish, why?"

"Because you're no good to me dead, that's why." Bella followed the sounds of his footsteps as he moved to her right. "I'll be back shortly. There's a toilet to your left."

Bella's head automatically turned to the left, just a moment before the door opened once more. She quickly tried to make out any details about her kidnapper but once more the blinding white light outside of her dark room made it impossible for her to do so, other than the fact that he was tall and seemed to be well built.

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A/N: Well, I'm back with a new story, my first for Twilight... (other than a couple of O/S's)

First up, I won't abandon Achilles, but the characters just aren't talking to me and they're too strong to try and force myself to put words on paper (so to speak)... So I'm hoping that by putting my mind on something else for a while, I'll be in a better frame of mind to complete the story.

This won't be all that long and only short chapters, so I hope you let me know what you think of it... :-)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Sadly Twilight and all the players are not mine, but I do like to play with them… but the story is… so I hope you like!**

 **Thank you so much for your reviews everyone…**

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Chapter 2

' _Shortly'_ wasn't as short as Bella would have thought, in fact it felt like hours had passed before she heard the door unlocking and opening once more. This time, she looked to the floor on the right side of the door so that the light wouldn't blind her again and waited. She gave herself a second to let her eyes adjust before looking up at the man but he had a hoody on and his face was obscured by scraggly dark hair. The bright light behind him still had her squinting but she could at least make more of him out than before.

"I'm cold; can I get a blanket and possibly something dry to sit on?"

"No." His answer was curt and instantly she knew that his mood was a lot darker than it had been before. "Be thankful I'm giving you food."

"You're only making things worse." She said shaking her head slightly.

"Worse?" He snorted derisively before moving around the room. "Could it get any worse, Isabella? Really? It wasn't supposed…"

 _Supposed… to what?_ Bella wondered. She wanted to ask but even in the dark she could tell that he was acting like a caged beast just waiting for someone to get close enough for him to take a swipe at; she didn't dare start to poke him with questions… not yet at least. The man let out a deep breath; she couldn't see him to be able to tell if he was angry, scared or just plain frustrated.

"I got you some sandwiches, so eat."

Bella was about to tell him where he could stick his sandwiches when she realised how hungry she was and she knew that if she had any chance of getting out of here, possibly when the opportunity arose, then she needed to keep up her strength, and his reference about needing her alive made her sure he wasn't about to poison her. "Where are they?" The sound of three footsteps in her direction had her turn her head to her right. Instinctively, she rubbed her dirty hands against her skirt and waited.

"Hold out your hands." After only a moment's hesitation Bella did as she was told and felt a paper bag touch her hands. She heard a rustle of movement in front of her before he spoke again. "There's a bottle of water in front of you."

She wasn't going to thank him. Suddenly a thought she had earlier re-entered her mind and her eyes darted up in front of her. How could he see? The room was as black for him as it was for her, or so she thought. She narrowed her eyes and tried to see something about him, but it was no use… Retreating footsteps told her that he was about to leave.

=x=

She couldn't be sure, but it felt like nearly a whole day had passed before the man returned to her dark prison. She was just about to start pounding on the door while screaming to be let out when she heard the key unlocking it. She stepped back three steps and waited.

"Go back to the wall, Isabella." The man's voice rang out through the door. Even though she knew it was impossible to see, her eyes darted around her in an effort to locate the camera she now knew he was watching her with. "Now!"

Huffing in exasperation, Bella moved backwards a further four steps and waited for the wall to meet her back. When it did, the door opened and the hooded man once more moved into the room. "So… cameras too, huh?"

"The better to see you with my dear; do you want this food or not?"

Bella's emotions were almost at breaking point. She was scared, hungry, dirty, confused, angry and everything in between. She couldn't stop the words before they spilled out of her. "Do you watch me when I go to the toilet too? Do you sit there and get off like some voyeuristic deviant?"

One second…

Two seconds…

Three seconds…

The door opened and he walked out. Food and all…

" _Shit!"_ Bella whispered under her breath.

By the time he came back, Bella's stomach had decided to start eating itself seeing as she ruined all chances of getting fed any time soon.

"Hold out your hands." Bella did what he said and once more a paper bag touched her hands. Again she spoke before thinking but not before ensuring he couldn't take the food away from her.

"You gonna watch me eat now?" She asked snidely with a mouthful of food. "Maybe I should put on a show for you later too."

"If that's what gets you off." Bella could hear that he was fighting a smile but she was too pissed to care. "Your father is a stubborn man."

The man's words stopped Bella mid-chew. She knew exactly how stubborn her father was but she didn't think her abduction would be a situation where it would raise its ugly head. "You don't know the half of it." She said trying to sound cool about it. She took another small bite of her bland sandwich.

"It amazes me sometimes…" he said cryptically.

"What?"

"What some people are willing to gamble with. I would've thought someone in your father's line of work would know what matters most in this fucked up world."

Bella had no illusions of what her father thought was most important in this life; power and money in equal measure. Then came her brothers, but she thought she was a close third at least. "He knows."

"Does your father love you, Isabella?"

His question caught her off guard. "Of course he does!" She yelled out as she moved forward.

" _Against the wall!_ " He yelled back. Taking a deep breath, the man walked to Bella's right. "I thought so too, Isabella but I'm starting to wonder now if I overestimated your father's love for his family."

Bella couldn't help it. As she continued to chew, a tear fell down her cheek; her throat started to tighten with emotion but she pushed through it and tried to act unaffected. "He'd be stalling for time, time that he needs to find me and when he does, he'll have you strung up by your ball sack."

The room was silent. Bella jumped when her captor snorted out a laugh mere inches in front of her face and her skin broke out in goosebumps, she hadn't heard him move closer. "You surprise me, Isabella." He whispered.

Bella's eyes narrowed, "Piss off…"

He laughed once more as he moved back to the door and walked out. She could hear him through the door laughing on and off for the next long while. Bella was _so_ glad that she amused him so much.

The next time Bella woke up, she was covered in a blanket.

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Let me know what you think so far...


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Not mine unfortunately, but the story is…**

 **Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews… Let's get to a few answers shall we!**

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Chapter 3

"Can I have something other than a sandwich to eat please?" Bella said into the darkness. Her jailer hadn't made an appearance for hours but she knew damn well he was watching her because she could hear soft, muffled sounds every now and then, but what she didn't know was if he could hear her as well... she could only hope. She was interested in what he'd do next. What felt like nearly an hour later, he walked into her room.

"Hold out your hands." Once more she felt the paper bag in her hands but it was heavy… it was most definitely _not_ a sandwich. She reached in and felt something cold and… round. Her face scrunched in confusion. Feeling around blindly, she felt something frilly, leafy. Suddenly she knew what he'd given her.

Rolling her eyes, she looked up to where she thought he stood and gave her best glare. "Really… you're giving me a lettuce?"

"You wanted something different." He said smiling, this time he hadn't tried to disguise his amusement. Bella was certain that it had something to do with the disgusted look she had on her face.

"Prick!" She yelled as she threw it back in his direction.

"Well, if you weren't hungry today, Isabella," he laughed, "… why did you ask for something different?"

"That's not food you wanker!"

The man's voice became serious once more. "You seem to eat it well enough on your sandwiches."

It only took Bella a second to get his meaning. She shook her head slowly as she huffed out a derisive sound… _Lesson learned arsehole; I'll take the bloody sandwiches!_ She thought to herself as she looked in his direction.

The man watched through his night vision goggles as understanding crossed over his captive's face. He'd watched her long enough before finally taking her to know that that she wasn't an idiot. He knew that he had to be smart when he finally got her, that he had to put her in her place right from the start; she didn't disappoint.

She was a quick learner.

One thing he hadn't known before taking her was just how much of a spitfire she was. That fact shouldn't have surprised as much as it did considering who her father and brothers were but what did surprise him was how much he liked her fire. She was tough and she didn't scare easily and as much as that last part was going to make his life more difficult than he needed it to be, he found that he liked her that way.

After the door closed once more, Bella got up off the floor and stretched. Her back was killing her and she was aching all over. By now she knew how many steps in any direction she could go before running into a wall or the toilet and as she walked, she thought about her father and her brothers. She also wondered what was taking them so long to find her because as much as she'd never been afraid of the dark, her 'room' was starting to close in on her.

A few minutes later, the man walked back into the dark room and before he could say his normal… _Hold out your hands,_ Bella raised her hands up. Her jailer smiled.

"What's your name?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, like I'm going to tell you that."

"Well tell me any name then, I need something to call you when I…" _secretly plan your death_ "…want something."

The man saw the smile she was trying to stop and wondered what she had planned on saying before changing her mind. "It's not a bloody hotel Princess."

"Fine… then I'll just have to call you…Edward." The name of one of her favourite characters in her favourite movie popped into her head. She couldn't recall how many times she'd watched Pretty Woman in her life but there was something about a good looking man rescuing her from a life she didn't want but had no choice to live, that spoke to her. While she loved her twin brother with her whole heart, she'd spent her whole life hiding from her older brother James; he was a cruel bastard. He'd hurt her so many times, though never in the presence of anyone who could corroborate, so it didn't take long before everyone thought her blaming James was her way of covering the fact that she was just a klutz.

She had often wished that she'd been born in to a different family, one where she didn't have to constantly watch what she said so she didn't piss off the wrong person, including her distant father and one where she didn't have a prearranged marriage hanging over her head, she shuddered thinking of the men her father was choosing between.

But what she couldn't see was the shock cross her jailers face at her choice of names. He was certain she didn't know who he was. Forcing himself to speak calmly, he moved towards her.

"Edward? Why'd you pick that name?"

Bella wasn't about to tell him her reasoning, he'd think she was an immature… _princess_ … so she scrambled to think of something else.

She shrugged her shoulders and fidgeted as her mind whirled… "Because… it sounds like something you'd be called. You know, egotistical and full of your own self-importance… dumb… _old…_ " She couldn't stop another grin pulling at her lips as she imagined him getting angrier and angrier.

Edward grinned how well she unknowingly pegged him, he was all of that and more. It was quite eerie how she 'saw' him even when she was in complete darkness. He was now the closest he'd been to his captive since taking her; he couldn't help but lean a little closer. There was something about her that drew him in, like one of those illusion drawings where you couldn't help but study it until you could work out exactly what was going on…

"You shouldn't push me little girl." He quietly growled. As Bella gasped, heat pooled in her cheeks she hadn't realised he was that close. "I told you to be good, Isabella, so stop baiting me."

Even with his night vision glasses on, he could tell she was dirty; he didn't need her scent to tell him that. So after leaving the room, he went over to the small storage room to see if there was a bucket handy. He hadn't thought she'd be with him for this long; otherwise he would have made other provisions. He half-filled it with some cold water while he boiled the kettle that sat on the bench of the small kitchenette and then went to find something she could use as a rag. Yes, she was his captive but it didn't mean he liked seeing her in the state she was in. Over the last week, Edward had come to respect her for the strength she'd shown, not many of the women he knew would be as calm in the same situation. There was nothing more annoying to him than a spineless woman who blubbered like a baby; he'd met too many of them in his line of work.

When he re-entered the holding room he saw that Bella had finished her food. He remembered the look on her face when she realised that he'd given her a lettuce to eat and he couldn't help but smile; he got an enormous amount of enjoyment out of firing her up, he'd miss it when she went home. The smile he had on his face fell instantly when he realised that he was starting to form an attachment. Attachments made his life complicated and gave others something to use against him. It was a realisation that sobered him up pretty quick, after all, she was practically a child and he… wasn't.

The second time he'd entered Bella's room, he'd seen that she'd worked out how to stop the outside light from blinding her when he'd open her door so from then on, to ensure that she couldn't identify him; he'd turn off the light in the outside rooms before opening her door. Edward slammed up the emotional walls that he hadn't even realised he'd let down and walked to stand in front of her. "Hold out your hands."

Bella was startled at the harshness in his words; he hadn't spoken to her like that in what felt like days. Something bad must have happened and suddenly she didn't want to put her hands anywhere near him. "Why, you've already fed me." Edward didn't say a word; he just waited for her to comply. "Tell me what you're giving me and I'll do it."

Edward looked down at the bucket in his hands and wondered if showing her this small kindness was the wrong thing to do. He clenched his jaw before taking a step back then without another word, he turned around and walked back outside.

"Wait! I'll do it… wait. Edward…" Bella cried out when she realised that he was leaving. She tried to follow but she wasn't facing the right way and ended up running into a wall. With the sound of the door closing beside her, she yelled out. "Shit!" She could only guess what he was going to give her… maybe something nice to eat… like some chocolate. Bella's shoulders dropped in defeat as she waited, but her 'Edward' didn't come back.

And he didn't come back for a long, long time. It was so long that she wondered if he'd decided to just abandon her or if her father had got a hold of him and killed him before he found out where he'd stashed her. With her stomach folding in on itself and her head thumping, Bella did everything she could to keep the fear of starving to death in the dark at bay…

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Soooo... What do you all think?


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, I've loved reading them. Answers will come, but first... Let's meet**  
 **Edward's darker side and see if any answers can be found. :-)**

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Chapter 4

The moment Edward walked out of the room; he walked over to the small sink on the far wall and emptied the bucket. He stood there with his hands gripping the hard steel edge of the sink for a while and watched the water swirl its way down the drain, his jaw clenching as he tried to rein in his spiraling emotions.

He couldn't believe that in the few short weeks he'd spent tracking and watching Bella's every move and then the week spent with her since he taken her, that he'd somehow formed… an attachment. Sure, he could have sent one of his men to watch her and take her but the stakes were too high and he knew that it was _his_ responsibility to get the job done.

He'd needed to study her, know her timetable, her habits so that when the time came, her kidnapping would go off without a hitch. His whole world relied on it; she was the one job that he couldn't afford to go awry. Her taking had to be planned to the second and he trusted no-one but himself to do it.

From the shadows, he immersed himself in her life and he was just now realising that there wasn't anything about her that he'd found annoying. Now that she was in _his_ space and he was actually conversing with her, he was finding out that she was more than he'd first realised… much more, and he didn't know if he liked it or not.

"Fuck!" He cursed. He forcefully pushed away from the sink and went to grab his suit jacket and keys; he needed to put more pressure on her father. If there was one thing Edward didn't do, it was forming attachments so that meant that he needed her gone… Now!

He quickly paced his way out of the building and got into the old car outside and drove towards his goal. Edward drove through the streets of Chicago; he needed to send a message that would push Charles Swan into giving back what he took so that his life could go back to what it was before… He was definitely no angel, how could he be when he'd grown up in the life and family that he did. For as long as he could remember, he'd been groomed for his life, he knew all the tricks of the trade and tonight he'd use his God given talents to get this job over and done with.

As he drove, his eyes searched for the one who would fill his needs for the night; it didn't take him long. Edward spotted his mark up ahead so he started to pull his car over to the curb. As the prostitute walked unsteadily up to his car, he poured some of the chloroform he'd used on Bella onto a rag and waited.

"How much?" He asked when she stood beside his window. He took in the pock marked skin of her face, the glassy eyes and scabs; he'd be doing her a favour.

"One hundred." She said while trying to look sexy. Her eyes took in the old, nondescript car and the opposing clean cut man in the expensive clothes. She may have been flying high, but she could still read a john in five seconds flat, and what she saw told her that this man didn't want anyone to recognise him on his hunt for a little somethin' somethin'…

"Get in." Edward said abruptly. The woman made her way around the front of the car, stumbling every few steps. Sliding onto the torn fake leather seats, she turned to him with a closed lip smile. She may be off her face but she still knew her bad teeth turned off men with money.

"Go up the road a bit and turn left into the alley three streets up." She directed. But instead of following her directions, he turned to her and reached out to grab the back of her head. She thought she knew what was coming, but she didn't, at least not until Edward slammed the chloroformed rag against her face. He'd moved his body into a position that if anyone outside was watching, they'd think he was kissing her. She tried to fight, but Edward was too strong and within seconds she was unconscious in the seat beside him. Turning slightly, Edward realised he had an audience so he pulled the girl down and laid her head on his lap; he knew what the other girls would think…

He drove for a short while and stopped behind a small, abandoned strip mall. For the next part of his plan, he needed to stash her somewhere unseen. Edward slowly unfolded himself out of the car and quickly scanned his surroundings. He went around to the end of his car and opened the trunk, another glance told him he was still alone for the time being. He walked unhurriedly but with purpose and opened the passenger side door of the car. At the thought of touching this woman, with her skin covered in sores and filth, his face tightened but he had a job to do and he'd done a lot worse than touching someone like her. He pulled at her over her clothes and lifted her out of the car; she was so lightweight it was ridiculous.

"Is that wat'chu gotta do ta get a bit man?" Said the male voice behind him, Edward knew just by his voice that he wasn't the law so stopped in his tracks and turned his head to face him. "Don't ya know its better when they fight back?" The men behind him all laughed out at their leaders words; apparently he was being funny…

Edward didn't respond straight away but his eyes took in everything about the four men that surrounded him. Two white, two black… and all with dreds…

"We don't care what you do with that…" the leader said while motioning to the woman in his arms. "… but we'll have your wallet and car."

"If you were smart, I'd advise you to all turn around and fuck off… are you smart men?" Edward growled out as he catalogued where every one of his weapons were, all he had to do was drop the woman and he'd have them all down in under a minute.

The leader was about to argue when Edward saw the eyes of the shortest guy widen in what was clearly recognition. Edward watched as he leant forward and whispered in the ear of the leader; he couldn't help but smirk as he imagined what he was saying. The demeanour of the leader changed instantly; Edward could see him weighing his options. Was the car worth it? He had to choose between either acting like the tough guy he thought himself to be and make a move that would more than likely end him in minutes or turn around and forget what he'd just seen…

"Have fun with that, man." _Smarter than you look…_ Edward thought to himself. With that, the men all backed away and faded into the night. Edward sniffed before looking back down to the woman in his arms. With a deep breath, Edward got back to what he was doing before being interrupted. He laid her on her side in the car's trunk and then reached into the back pocket of his pants to pull out the chloroformed rag. He pressed it against her nose for a few seconds, just to make sure she was well under then tucked it under her cheek to ensure she wouldn't wake before he wanted her to.

Another quick look around to ensure he was alone was all he took before getting into his car and making his way to one of his warehouses that was set up for this very scenario. Once there, he opened the large roller door and drove his car inside. To anyone who happened to come across this place, it would seem like any other abandoned warehouse, but he often used its hidden rooms for just this type of work. Walking over to one such room, he quickly gathered the tools needed…

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 **Don't forget to let me know what you think. :-)**


	5. Chapter 5

Now for a little more of Bad Edward! Just remember, he's not bad, he's just written that way! ;-)  
Answers will come... just give it time!

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Chapter 5

Edward walked over to the unconscious woman and looked down at her. He knew that he could probably have found someone less marked than her but he didn't have time. Old man Swan to going to understand that he had no other option but to bow to Edward's demands, just like he should have done in the beginning.

He took a breath, picked up the pliers in his right hand and the woman's hand in his left, then cut off the pinky finger. The woman's face twisted in pain and she let out a sorrowful moan but she didn't wake. Edward grabbed the towel beside him and wrapped her hand up to soak up the blood then put the finger into the small box he'd picked up when he went to get more food.

It was only about ten minutes later when the prostitute woke up and pain was the first thing she became aware of; her whole arm and into her chest ached and pulsed in agony. She didn't know where she was or what had happened but all she knew was that she was in more pain than she'd ever experienced and that was saying something.

"Stop screaming or I'll knock you out again." The man's voice behind her made her jump in fright and that's when she realised that she was strapped down on something hard, like a table.

She couldn't help the whimper that came out of her as she struggled; she knew she was in serious trouble. "What's going on? Who are you? What have you done to me?"

"What's going on is that you're here to help me achieve a goal. It doesn't matter who I am; you don't want to know and to what I've done to you…. well, you don't want to know that either. So shut up and get comfortable, you'll be here for a while. If you'd prefer to not feel anything at all or know what's going on around you, let me know and I'll keep you flying. It's the least I can do… for your services…"

"Oh God… please don't kill me… please… My name is Lauren… please… " she whimpered. She'd heard what he said and what he meant but between her craving and the pain she was in, his words weren't important. "I'm in pain… you got somethin'? I need a hit man… please."

Edward looked on dispassionately but then pulled out a syringe from the draws of the cabinet he was leaning against and walked over to Lauren. He quickly administered the drug into her system and watched as her eyes rolled and a small smile pulled at her mouth. As he stared at her, he couldn't help but wonder what she'd looked like before her shitty life got a hold of her, probably really pretty. He looked across her now relaxed body to the roughly bandaged hand and thought that she was lucky that he'd only taken a finger. He picked up a new rag and poured some chloroform onto it and rested it over her nose and mouth; it would keep her out until he could get back.

The next stage of his plan involved him driving to the well-known area where punk-assed street kids and the long time homeless congregated. In the weeks he'd been off grid, watching Bella, Edward's normally pristine appearance was looking a little rough, but it served a purpose. Before leaving the warehouse, he grabbed the hoody from the rear of the car and put it on; a suit jacket wouldn't do him any favours where he was going.

It didn't take long for him to find the one who would deliver his 'incentive' package. Edward pulled the hood up and donned his sunglasses; he found that people tended to look at themselves in the mirrored surface rather than the one wearing them and that's what he needed right now.

He pulled over to the side of the street and turned the car off. Then he waited while staring at the kid who would be his messenger. In this neighbourhood, a car idling on the side of the road didn't take long to be noticed. So when the kid looked his way, Edward got out of the car and pointed to him. After a moment's hesitation, the teenager made his way over to Edward.

"You wanna earn some money?" Edward asked in a well-practiced Irish accent.

"You a cop?" The boy asked.

"Do I look like one?" Edward asked with a snort. "No, I'm not… I have a job that needs to be done, you want it or not?"

The kid's eyes narrowed warily but his curiosity was too much. "How much money you offerin'?"

"A hundred; just deliver something for me and if you do a good job, I may need you again in the next day or two."

"Sure, why not." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Take this," Edward said handing over the small box and a piece of paper, "…to this address. Do _not_ open it, do _not_ ask what it is, just deliver it and walk away."

Once more the boy hesitated, but then looked up. "Not a bomb?"

"Not a bomb; not in the 'boom' sense anyway, but when they see what's inside, I'm sure expecting fireworks… Still want the job?"

"Yeah…" As the kids went to walk past to complete the 'job', Edward reached out and grabbed his arm…

"Do _not_ open that box. I'll be watching you the whole time." The threat was unmistakeable, even to a kid. After giving a nod of understanding, Edward let him go and watched for a few seconds before getting back into the car.

As he drove towards the Swan residence, Edward hoped that he would finally get what he wanted and this whole dilemma would be over in a matter of hours. Isabella could go home and he could get… what was taken from him. Edward refused to think about what it would mean to him and his family for this deal to not go as he wanted. He needed a clear head and if he thought too much on what was really at stake, he'd make mistakes… And he wasn't someone who made mistakes.

After parking his car a block away, Edward made his way to a vantage point where he could watch the drop happen. It was about ten minutes later when the kid came into view. When he approached the gates to the Swan residence, he looked around and walked over to the intercom. Edward couldn't hear what was being said so he looked further up the driveway to see if anyone was coming to meet the kid. Movement from the left of the drive caught Edward's eyes seconds before the kid noticed too. Words were spoken and a few tense moments passed before he pushed the box through the rungs of the wrought iron gate. The guard lifted the lid but when his eyes darted back up, the kid was gone… just like he'd been told to do. Edward smiled as he watched the guard glance around before turning to run towards the large white home.

Now for the fireworks…

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Thank you all so much for your reviews. I love reading them... They make me smile!  
Till next time...


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the delay guys... This chapter is slightly longer, so I hope you enjoy!  
Now for a bit more Badward... ;-)

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Chapter 6

Edward's 'vantage point' came in the shape of a house that stood on the opposite side of the road to the Swan residence and a couple of doors down. The owners were 'acquaintances' of Edward's family and after a quick phone call he made during his search for his delivery boy, they vacated to give him privacy. After arriving, he ran up to one of the side balconies where he would remain unseen and waited.

Not five minutes had passed after his incentive had been delivered that Edward's phone started to vibrate in his hand. He pressed the button with a smirk… Charles Swan started speaking without any preamble…

"You've really fucked with the wrong people you sick _fuck_ … You're gonna pay dearly for the pain you've inflicted on my daughter." Edward nearly laughed at the rage in old man Swan's voice.

"Oh, I'm shaking in my boots, old man. Can you hear my bones rattling?"

"You think this is funny, fuckwit?"

Edward's humour died instantly. "Funny? No… I find nothing funny about this whole fucking situation other than your anger old man…"

"Do you honestly think that you can do something so heinous to my daughter and I'm just going to let you get away with that, with no repercussions?"

"Yes… I gave you a chance to finish this nicely; you fucked that chance Swan, so really it's _your_ fault that your daughter only has nine fingers now. Twice I told you to give back what you took, twice you ignored me… You've run out of chances to rectify your mistake and there'll be no more asking, just telling… I'm _telling_ you, give back what's mine, fuck with me again and next time you'll get a leg. So are you as intelligent as I've found your daughter to be, old man or did she get her brains from her mother?"

As the torrent of abuse came through the line, Edward could no longer hold in his laughter; he loved this game. In some ways he didn't want it to end just yet; there was nothing more satisfying than to watch others squirm when they tried to play these sorts of games with him… It was one of the many reasons he wouldn't let anyone else do this job.

"Now, this is how it's gonna go, Swan. You'll drop off what's mine to a location that I'll give you once you're on the road and then you'll get your daughter back. Fuck with me again, and you'll be buyin' her a wheelchair. Are we clear?"

Heavy breathing was all Edward could hear. "When?"

Edward looked at his watch and found that it was only just after 10 pm. Factoring in the time it would take Swan to get to the drop off point and for him to get back to where he was keeping Bella; he decided that it would happen the next night.

"Be ready to leave at eight tomorrow night. Oh and Swan… if my goods are damaged in _any_ way, you'll regret it more than you regret anything else in your life… you hear me?"

Nothing more was said, just the tone signifying that the call had been disconnected. Now Edward had to wait to see just how smart the old man really was. He quickly made his way back to his car and then followed what he thought was the kids way back to where he'd come from; it didn't take him long to catch up to him.

"You did good kid…" he said, switching back into the Irish brogue once more. "I'll be back if I need you again." Then he pulled out a couple of notes and handed them over before driving off. As he drove, he thought about what he knew of the Swan family and it's male members and what he'd come to learn about Isabella and for the life of him, Edward couldn't work out how she turned out the way she did.

Edward walked into the warehouse that he'd left Lauren in, contemplating what he was going to do with her that night. He knew that Bella was safe where she was but he was reluctant to stay away, leaving her for the whole night on her own, he also needed to get a few hours' sleep if he was going to be on the ball for the exchange the following night and that wouldn't happen if he was thinking about her all night. He walked over to where Lauren laid still unconscious and stared at her while planning out the next 24 hours. Making a decision, he released the bindings and lifted her up off the table and once more placed her in the trunk of his car.

When he got back to where he was holding Bella, he sat for a while thinking of what he'd do once this was all over with. One thing he knew for sure was that he'd make Charles Swan pay for ever thinking he was big enough to play with the Cullioni family. He just had to decide if there would be one lone survivor of the Swan family or if it was in his best interest to stop a woman bent on revenge before she even started. He determined that he was too tired to think of it at that very moment, so he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

-x-

Bella was sitting with her back against the door… a door she'd spent hours banging against; her hands were almost as raw as her throat. She was hungry and filthy and cold and pissed off. When she heard noise on the other side of the door, she stumbled to her feet. She thought about yelling out more obscenities but her throat was too sore.

Edward put the still unconscious woman onto the bench that lined the far wall and placed the rag onto her face once more. He didn't need her waking up and making matters worse but he couldn't kill her yet, Swan may decide to be a total fuckwit the next night and Edward may need to send another message… Looking at the woman's legs, he realised that he'd never be able to send one of them, the sores were a dead giveaway. He looked to her bare feet where there were only a few lesions. He realised that he'd have to scrape the skin to disguise them, make them look like she'd been in a struggle… "Hmm, that'll have to do."

He walked over to the monitor that sat on the small desk and watched as Bella stood facing the door; she'd obviously heard him come in. He thought about the last time he was in there with her and if he should give her the bucket of warm water to clean herself with or not. Coming to the conclusion that it wasn't her fault her father was a prick, he got up and once more boiled some water. When that was done, he picked up a handful of the rags he had with him and what was left of some soap at the sink. Once he had his goggles on and had turned off the lights, he walked to Bella's door. "Move away from the door Isabella."

He watched as she did what she was told and then he entered the room.

"Where were you?" She asked. Immediately, Edward heard the scratchiness in her voice and he wondered why. Hopefully she wasn't getting sick… that was one thing he could do without. As he placed the bucket in front of her, he spoke up once more.

"Doesn't matter, hold out your hands." Bella knew better than to argue again. Her brows drew together at the soft feel of cloth, she didn't understand. "There's a bucket of warm water in front of you, you can clean up a bit if you want. I've given you about five or six rags and some soap."

Bella couldn't understand the sudden feelings that burst up. She was unbelievably grateful for this small act of kindness; she felt awful and to be able to clean up with warm water almost had the words, 'thank you', spilling out of her mouth… "Why are you doing this?" She asked instead.

"Because it's not your fault your father's a dick."

Bella couldn't argue that point; her father was a dick in a lot of ways but she never thought her father would ever let anything bad happen to her. She knew that her brothers were more important to him because of the 'family business' but she thought he'd anything to get her out of a situation such as this, but he hadn't so far… "Do you have anything for a headache?"

Edward watched as her brow furrowed, he could see she was in pain. It wasn't something that he liked seeing and that along with her scratchy voice had him worried. "I'll have a look. Are you getting sick?"

"No, just a bad night… it is night isn't it?"

Edward didn't say anything as he took in her appearance; he wondered why her night would have been bad. Her hands did sort of look a little rougher than they did before but through the goggles, he couldn't be sure. "Yes it's night-time." Without thinking, he reached out and took one of Bella's hands with his own, the action making her flinch. Turning it over, he could see what he thought were the start of bruises. He looked up in understanding and found Bella looking back at him unashamedly… she may not be intentionally provoking him but she wasn't going to take her situation lying down either and she wasn't scared of him knowing it; her strength made him smile. Gently, he lowered her hand then turned to walk back outside.

"You gonna go to watch me bathe too? Let me know if there's something you'd like to see." Bella said before she could stop herself.

Edward couldn't stop the wide grin that took over his face.

"Well, if you're going to make it worth my while, I may just do that Isabella. Make it a good show and you never know what I might bring back with me." Shutting the door behind him, Edward couldn't help but laugh under his breath as he took the goggles off. He turned the lights on before rummaging around in the cupboard under the sink and the shelf above it. Not finding what he needed, he checked on Lauren and then picked up his keys. It wasn't until he was halfway to the all night drugstore that he realised what he was doing.

"Shit…" he cursed under his breath. His men would think him soft; running around after his captive like a gopher, he was more than a little annoyed at himself but he knew he wouldn't rest that night knowing Bella was in pain. She was a good woman, no matter who her family was.

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Hmm... Do you think he knows or wants to acknowledge what's really going on with him? Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews last chapter, loved them all! It was end of month at work last week so I was busy, busy... I'll be answering your reviews shortly!

Thanks again,

Sandy


	7. Chapter 7

Hi... Sorry for the delay and not replying to your reviews. Just over a week ago, I ruptured a disc in my back...  
Sitting has been a bit of an issue. :-) But... here's the next chapter. I hope you all like it. I love reading your theories on  
what's really going on.

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Chapter 7

When Edward finally returned, he took the rag off Lauren's face; after all he didn't want her dying just yet. She wouldn't start to wake for at least an hour anyway, so he put his goggles back on and went back into Bella's room with some aspirin, a plastic cup of water and the surprise he'd got her…

"Hold out your hands." He said once again. He smiled as she complied without delay. As he put the tablets in her hands, tingles once again spread up his arm like it had the day he'd taken her… he had no idea what was causing it. "It's aspirin."

The relief on her face was tangible. "Do you have water too?" He moved the white plastic cup to her waiting hand and watched as she swallowed them down without question. He was pretty sure that he would not have done the same thing in her situation; he could have given her anything.

"How do you know I didn't give you something other than Aspirin?"

Bella rolled her eyes and then grimaced as the action caused more pain that she already had going on…"If you wanted me dead, I would be by now… Am I wrong? Plus, you wouldn't have given me a bucket of warm water to wash in and you most certainly wouldn't have given a shit if my head exploded right now, so I'm gathering that the tablets were exactly what you said they were..."

"Mmm…" _Too bloody smart…_ Edward was fascinated by how her mind worked. Summations of everything that happened to and around her seemed to happen naturally… He handed her tablets and without wondering if she should question him on if they were really what he said they were or not, she automatically came to the conclusion that she did… That wasn't something the majority of humanity did. But it made her highly intelligent, cunning and dangerous... just like him.

And he liked it.

Maybe it was the fact that the room had no windows and lacked air circulation but it took a little while for Bella to become aware of a whole different smell in the room, one that she'd been longing for… "Is that mine?" she asked hopefully, with a now watering mouth…

"Well, you did put on such a good show earlier…" Edward said smiling.

Bella didn't know whether to believe him or not but she was pretty sure she didn't do anything to be embarrassed about when she washed earlier, so without replying, she held her hand out to receive her first cup of coffee in she didn't know how long. After giving it to her, Edward moved backwards until he met the door and then slid down to the ground. It was quiet in the room as he watched her sip her coffee.

As much as he wanted to keep things easy between them, he knew he needed some answers, answers only she could give him. So, without taking his eyes of her, he asked the most pressing one he had. "How smart is your father, Isabella?"

Bella was surprised that her captor was hanging around this time as well as his question but it also confused her. "Why do you ask?"

"Do you not know?"

God, she hated when people answered questions with questions… Bella's head dropped as her thoughts went wild but she tried to put her answer together as carefully as she could. "Recent events have made me re-evaluate a lot of what I thought I knew about my father, but if you think that I know anything about his 'business' that would be beneficial to you then all I've got to say is that I'm afraid you took the wrong Swan offspring."

Once more her voice held no fear; it made him smile. "Oh, don't worry, Isabella, I know everything I need to know where your father's business is concerned, I always have but what I want to know right now is how _smart_ you think he is?"

Bella tried to work out what he was getting at but couldn't and she didn't want to say anything that may inadvertently put her in more hot water than she already found herself in, so she answered as best she could. "If you're asking if he'll do as you want because you have me, then I'd have to say again that recent events have changed my mind about my father and… you took the wrong Swan offspring." Even though she couldn't see an inch in front of her, her gaze did not waver. She believed what she was saying and that pissed Edward off, probably more than her non answer. Even growing up in the family he did, he never doubted his parents love for him and his siblings.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that he was plenty pissed on your behalf when I delivered him a message tonight, don't you worry about that."

Bella didn't know what to make of what her captor had just said so she decided to ask the questions she most wanted answers to. "Can I ask why me? What has my father done to warrant all of this?"

"Your father took something that he shouldn't have, something that he better take good care of if he wants to see you again." Anger had leached into Edward's voice, anger that Bella heard loud and clear. She tried to think of something that she'd seen or heard of in the week before she'd been taken, but she was coming up empty. Since moving out into her own apartment, she rarely heard anything to do with her family business.

Edward needed to get himself under control… so he grappled for something else to talk about. "Is there something else you'd like to eat?" He asked.

He saw the quick smile that pulled at Bella's face before she looked down. "Some chocolate would be heaven right about now."

 _Of course…_ Edward thought to himself, he knew very well how much Bella loved her coffee and chocolate, he hadn't thought to get any as he didn't think she'd be with him for as long as she had. "Anything else?"

"This isn't some… last meal thing, is it?"

Edward couldn't help but laugh, he was surprised that her dry sense of humour was still there. "No… no last meal thing."

Bella's fingers rubbed at her temples as she smiled and nodded her head. "Some pasta would be good." She was desperately craving some carbs.

"Okay, I can do that."

A silence came over them that wasn't exactly awkward, but Bella still felt the need to say something. "I want to ask you something but I don't want you to take it the wrong way… I'm just… curious."

Edward wondered what she was going to ask. What he knew of Bella, it could be anything. "Ask away; can't say I'll answer, but you can ask anyway."

"Okay… well… I know that I don't exactly _know_ you but what I've been able to tell, you don't seem to be all that bad." Edward fought hard not to laugh… if only she knew the real him… "I know that most people would consider the fact that you kidnapped me to be indicative of the type of person you are but in the time I've been here, you haven't hurt me, you've given me a blanket when you didn't have to, warm water to wash in, halfway decent food… If you were truly bad, my comfort in this situation wouldn't matter one iota. So that tells me that you're not… bad, maybe just in a bad situation that you're trying to rectify as best you can."

Edward didn't know how to take what she'd just said. This wasn't his first kidnapping and she was right, he'd never been worried over his captives comfort before. "And your question in all that is….?"

"You're not… bad, so how did you get _here,_ in this situation?" Bella asked.

Edward could see where she was going with this and he wondered how in-depth he was going to answer, if at all, so he took a minute to think. "You're right in one way; you _don't_ know me and I'm pretty sure that your opinion on my 'badness' would be different if you did."

Bella started to shake her head even before Edward had finished speaking. "I, more than anyone know that the life you live isn't always one of your own making, sometimes it's what you're born with. And the life you're born with doesn't determine how mean your heart is."

"No, but it can determine how mean your heart has to be to survive." Something in Bella's eyes had Edward going over what he'd just said. It was like she'd just found out something. "But I've already told you that your father has something of mine and until he gives it back, you'll stay with me."

"When is he giving _it_ back?"

"Tomorrow… if he's smart."

"Ah… okay, now I understand. In that situation, my father's intelligence doesn't come into it, his stubbornness does. And he's _very_ stubborn."

"Are you telling me that you don't think you're going home tomorrow?"

Bella started biting the inside of her cheeks as she thought about his question. "I'd probably have plan B ready if I were you. I'd like to say yes, that he'll do whatever you want, but he's… by the book so to speak and if it comes between a choice of backing down and looking like a fool in front of his men even when he's wrong… or sticking to his guns and maybe losing big time, well, let's just say that he hasn't always made the right choice in the past."

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Let me know what you think... :-)

I just found some boo-boo's.. all fixed! I hope! :-)


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews and well wishes, they made me smile…  
Now, ready for some answers?

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Chapter 8

Edward thought that by her choice of words, Bella was saying that Charles Swan has been in a similar situation before and if that was true then then maybe a 'Plan A, part 2' was in order more than a Plan B at this stage.

Edward looked around the room and his eyes landed on the rags that Bella had used to clean herself with, a thought came to him. "Okay then, maybe we need to ensure that your father doesn't fall into old habits and for once in his miserable life, he'll make the right choice."

"How?" Bella asked. While she couldn't say that she was scared, she was feeling a little apprehensive by the calculating tone to Edward's voice.

"Hold out your hands." He asked as he stood up from the floor. Again, Bella didn't think he was about to hurt her but at times her dangerous curiosity won out over her apprehension and she did what he asked. Edward picked up a rag and wrapped it around one of her hands, folding her pinky finger in towards her palm, all while the strange sensation he associated with touching her skin pulsed up his arms. The action confused Bella at first but a few reasons for his actions popped into her head. But now was not the time to overstep the boundaries of this new 'understanding' she found herself in with Edward, so she bit the inside of her cheek in an effort to shut up. "I'll be back in a minute."

With that Edward went back outside to check on his other 'guest' and to grab his phone. Papa Swan needed another little push. Coming back inside Bella's room to find her now standing, he watched as she fiddled with her bandaged hand and chewed on her lip. "Did tonight's message to my father include a body part that I'm supposed to be missing now?" Bella asked without looking up.

Edward's hands stopped fiddling with his phone for a second and he smiled at how quickly she put everything together; he liked how smart she was, it was a quality he admired most in his mother… Esme Cullioni certainly kept his father on his toes; she never missed a thing. It was only then that Edward realised just how much Bella was like his mother.

"Yes, just be thankful it wasn't _your_ body part."

"Oh, don't worry, I am. Am I going to keep losing body parts?"

Edward snorted out a laugh. Slowly he made his way over to where she stood. "Well, that depends on how _stubborn_ your father is, now doesn't it." He said in a voice he normally used when flirting.

Bella looked up to his face even though she still couldn't see him; there was no fear there, if anything the small smirk she wore almost spoke of playful participation. "So what's next, dungeon master… another finger, an arm maybe?"

"A leg!" He watched her mull that over and he could tell she had a question right on the tip of her tongue… probably where he was getting the 'body parts', as she called them. He wondered if she was actually going to ask. When she didn't, he spoke up instead. "As I said, Isabella, you don't know me; I'm not as good as you think I am, so don't ask questions that you don't want the answers to."

"Will you ever tell me what my father took from you?" Bella asked. Her emotions were all over the place and while she was tired, cold and scared of her situation, she wasn't exactly scared of the man she called 'Edward'. With every visit she felt more and more comfortable in his presence. One thing she didn't want to admit though was that ever time he'd been this close to her; his scent was becoming more appealing.

He could have hurt her so many times since he'd taken her and he hadn't, he'd actually shown her kindness, and while she was under no illusion that he was a very dangerous man who could more than likely kill her before she even knew it was coming, she didn't think he would. After he'd left her with the bucket of warm water, she'd really thought a lot about her captor, only one thing niggled at her… she wanted to know what he looked like.

Edward's eyes never left Bella's face; he was fascinated by the silent thoughts he could see going on behind her eyes. What he wouldn't give to be able to hear them… "Why do you want to know what he took from me?" Edward asked.

Bella shrugged her shoulder a little before speaking. "I don't know, I guess I want to know what my life is being bartered over."

Edward raised his hand up so that his fingers ghosted over her lips without actually touching them, being this close to her had him wondering if they were as soft as he'd often imagined them to be. He knew she couldn't see him and knowing that she couldn't, turned him on like never before. He leaned back slightly, just enough to really take in her soft curves. She was incredibly beautiful and very much his type so thoughts of pushing her up against the wall and wrapping her legs around his waist ran through his mind untethered.

Edward's mouth watered at the images and forced him to swallow hard before taking a deep breath. "He took my sister." He whispered.

Bella gasped, that wasn't what she was expecting; a stolen drug shipment or guns maybe but not his sister. She tried to think of a woman that had been around the house lately, even just the mention of someone knew but she was coming up empty. "Your sister? I… I'm sorry. I didn't know…"

"I know you didn't, Isabella and I'm sorry that you've been pulled into this mess. It took me nearly a week to find out who had her. I told your father to let her go or there'd be consequences he wouldn't like but he didn't listen. When he ignored the second chance I gave him, one I rarely give others who have crossed me… well…" Edward's voice became more and more sinister as he spoke, he couldn't think straight when his sister's life was on the line. "…he's forced my hand now Isabella and now, here you are."

Something he'd said before niggled at Bella's mind though. "Why would my family target your sister?"

Edward leant forward, only a hair's breath away from Bella's ear when he spoke, an action that caused a shudder to ripple down her spine; she only hoped he didn't see it. "Because he thinks he can take on _my_ family… and _that_ was your father signing _his_ death warrant."

Bella wasn't stupid. She'd grown up in an organised crime family; she knew what Edward's words meant… She swallowed heavily before speaking. " _Your_ family… as in…?"

As he looked down at her he realised that even in her pretty much unwashed state, Bella appealed to him with an unusual intensity, so he chose to indulge and stay exactly where he was. It only took a moment for Edward to make up his mind about telling her the truth; he couldn't wait to see if she knew of him.

"Cullioni, my name is Edward Cullioni." Bella's eyes closed as the full ramifications washed over her. _Yeah, she knows who and what I am,_ Edward thought to himself. "Your guess of my name a few days ago was eerily spot on, Isabella. But your father took my sister and that was an error of judgement that he _will_ pay for dearly, make no mistake."

Behind her eyes, Bella's mind whirled. If Edward came through with his threats, she would not have any family left… she was pretty sure that she would be included in his revenge against what her father had done, and for that, she hated her father like never before. As soon as she grew old enough to realise what sort of man her father really was, the man he became after her mother died, she dreamed of disappearing, of making a life for herself with a family that she knew loved her and would protect her… Her college plan was one that she hoped could give her a skill to survive in hiding but after everything that she'd dreamed and planned, it hadn't been enough and now the time had come. A tear fell and made its way over the swell of her cheekbone.

Edward was amazed at watching all the emotions play out over her features. Finally, after all this time, he saw a glimpse of fear. Whether it was of him, of losing her family… of dying, he didn't know but he could tell she was scared of something. Another thing he saw was realisation and then defeat that preceded a single tear that fell down her cheek, he instinctively reached out and wiped it away… he didn't like it.

"You and my sister, the only two innocents in this whole mess, Isabella and for that I _am_ sorry, you didn't deserve any of this."

Without any thought, Bella's hand snapped up and around Edward's wrist. "Let me see you… please…" She couldn't understand what was going on with her. She'd never laid eyes on him but she knew with everything in her that she needed to see his face. She whispered, "…please Edward."

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Well… there you have it! His sister… Now, wonder if he'll let her see him? Don't forget to let me know what you think of this chapter!

Till next time…


	9. Chapter 9

Well, you all seemed to like chapter 8! Lol…  
I'm having issues with my internet, so while I have a connection, I'm putting this up for you all. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 9

Of course Bella had heard of his family, she suspected that _everyone_ knew of the Cullioni's, they were probably the biggest and most feared families in Chicago. They were also the proverbial thorn in her father's side. She didn't know a lot about Edward's family, only the few snippets she could remember overhearing in the heated discussions spat out between her father and brothers when they didn't know she was there, but they didn't add up to the man she was getting to know. Sure he was dangerous, very dangerous, she had no illusions of that but not once did his presence scare her; at least up until the point where Edward had said his name.

Throughout everything she'd been through, Bella had found it somewhat easy to keep her spine straight and her tongue sharp, to not 'lose it' in her pitch black prison, but now she wasn't so sure if she could keep it up. She wished she hadn't asked for the answers he gave her because now knowing who had her only made her situation all that more unwinnable in her eyes. A small voice was telling her to give up, but she knew she wouldn't. If she was going to die, she'd do it on her own terms and she wanted to see Edward's face.

Edward didn't know why she felt the need to see him and he was pretty sure it was probably the worst thing he could do at this point but he was past the point of caring, nor could he think of one reason why he should deny her the very thing he wanted so damn much. There'd been times over the last week where he'd had flashes of them laughing or kissing…or more. They were nice flashes. "I'd have to go outside first; the light switch is out there. You'll need to close your eyes as you've been in the dark for a while." Bella nodded her head in understanding and let go of his arm as she felt him move away from her. "I'll be back soon."

Once he left the room, Edward walked over to the still unconscious prostitute and sighed heavily. "Got myself in a right old mess now, haven't I Lauren…" he mumbled down to her. Even though he'd always known who she was, Isabella Swan had never been on his radar because of who her father was but she was firmly on his radar now… very much so. With her strength and spirit, her brains and self-confidence, she was exactly the sort of woman that turned him on, both in mind and body. "Shit…"

After putting his night goggles on the small desk that held the monitors, he walked over to the light switch outside Bella's holding room. Unconsciously, he ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm his nerves. Surprised, he realised that he was nervous… It was a feeling Edward wasn't used to and he wasn't sure it was something that he particularly liked. "Close your eyes." He called out before flicking on the light switch.

Seeing her again with his own two eyes pleased him immensely. Isabella Swan was a stunningly beautiful young woman, dirt and all… He was also _normally_ a smart man, one not prone to sticking his head in the sand when 'sticky' situations came up, so he quickly admitted to himself that in the short time he'd been around Bella, he'd grown quite attached to her, more attached than he ever thought he'd be to _any_ woman.

His mother would be ecstatic in any other circumstance. He scoffed at the irony.

When Bella heard the door open and Edwards footsteps come towards her, she waited a few seconds before she tried to open her eyes. As he'd said, the light hurt and it took a while of squinting and blinking for her eyes to adjust. When they did, she only just managed to hide her shock. The Edward Cullioni that stood before her was not what she was expecting. She wasn't sure exactly what she pictured… maybe some ugly, big nosed, hairy Italian thug, but that was most certainly not what he was. He was drop-dead gorgeous yet all male, probably the best looking man she'd ever seen even with all that scruff on his face. She had no doubt that his deep green eyes could most likely render any woman speechless… including herself if her current muteness was any indication; his hair could have done with a brush though…

He was also younger than what she expected, maybe early to mid-thirties, which was young to be the head of a family in their world. Being Don of a family took a strong hand, respect and a hell of a lot of fear and that normally took years to build. He stood at least six foot tall probably bigger and even under his hoody she could tell that he was a wall of rock solid muscle. The small lines on his face didn't age him though; it only made him more attractive to her… in a rough sort of way.

To Edward's credit, he didn't comment on the appreciative looks he was getting from the beautiful Miss Swan; he rather liked them and didn't want to say anything that would stop her hungry appraisal.

"You're not what I expected." Bella said at last.

"What did you expect?" Edward asked with a smile; he couldn't wait to hear what she had to say.

"The polar opposite of… you." Bella said as her cheeks flushed, her hands waving in his direction.

"So… old, short, fat, hairy… ugly…" Edward's smile morphed quickly into a smirk.

A very unladylike snort escaped Bella before she could hold it in. "Humble too, you forgot that one." Edward chuckled as he sat down against the wall to Bella's right. When he patted the ground for her to sit, she suddenly became serious. "Am I going to be included in your… retribution against my family?"

Edward's smile faded instantly. "That's a hard question to answer, Isabella."

"Not really, you said the handover was tomorrow so I'm gathering that you have a plan… Will I walk away or not?"

Edward drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around them. He took a deep breath while trying to put his thoughts together. "Well… you see Isabella…"

"Bella, I hate being called by my full name."

"Bella… You see, I'm in a bit of a bind. On one hand, I've come to know you and I like you a lot; you're also innocent in all of this, you just happened to be born into the wrong family." Bella snorted out a humourless laugh. "What?"

"You don't how many times I've thought that very thing. Don't get me wrong, there are people in my family that I love very much, one in particular that I'd even die for but there are others... well, let's just say that I think the world would be a better place without them in it…" She said shrugging her shoulders. The best day of her life was the day she moved out of the family home.

Edward was going to ask her to continue but decided to see if maybe the woman herself could tell him what to do so he continued to speak without addressing what she'd just said. "On the other hand by leaving you alive, I run the risk of having you come after me and mine one day for your own retribution. So as much as I don't want to see you hurt…"

Bella understood what he was saying; she didn't know how she was going to be able to convince him that she wouldn't come after him. "Do you know exactly who it was in my family who took your sister?"

Her question confused him; it was an odd thing to ask after what he'd just told her. "As far as I can tell, it's just your father… why?"

"My brother Jasper is many things, I won't even waste my breath trying to defend him but if he's in on this, it would be under orders. Edward, I'm under no illusions of what he's capable of but I know with everything in me that he would never lay a hand on a woman, _never_."

Edward was quiet for a while. "You want me to spare him?"

"After my mother died, my father… changed. Jasper was the only one in my family who even noticed how much pain I was in. I don't know if it was a twin thing or if he's just wired like me but…" A tear escaped her eye when she thought of her beloved brother. Bella and Jasper looked nothing alike but their bond was unbreakable.

"What about James?" Edward asked.

Bella looked down and pulled at her dirty shirt. "He's most definitely _not_ wired like me; he's our grandfather revisited and then some. There have been times over the years that I think his cruelty and ruthlessness has scared even my father. I wouldn't be surprised if my father had someone tailing James just to make sure he sees him coming before he gets a knife in his back." Steadily, Bella looked steadily into Edward's eyes. "The world would be a better place without _him_ in it, that's for sure."

Edward didn't blink as he studied her face. It didn't take him long to realise she meant everything she said. He thought about what he'd learnt so far and what she'd asked of him and then abruptly stood up. "I'll be right back."

Outside of the room, Edward went through the draws of the small desk and found the untraceable phone he had on him. He watched the monitor as Bella wiped away the tears that she'd finally let fall in his absence. With his mind made up and a quick glance at the bench where Lauren still laid, he walked back into the holding cell.

"Put it on speaker and call Jasper. Find out if he had anything to do with taking my sister."

Bella reached out for the phone in shock. She couldn't believe he was giving her a chance to save not only herself but her twin… she was right, he wasn't all that bad. She thought for a second of what number to reach him on and quickly dialled.

"Who is this?" Jasper asked when he picked up.

"It's me…" Bella said, her voice restricted with emotion. "Jasper…"

"Bells… are you okay? Did you escape?" Jasper's heart leapt when he heard his sister's voice.

Bella didn't know how long she had so she got straight to it. "I'm okay, I've been well looked after, Edward's been really nice to me but no, I'm still here. Jasper…" Jasper couldn't understand what she was saying and tried to interrupt but Bella raised her voice to get him to shut up… "Jasper, just wait for a minute, please…"

"What's going on Bella?"

"Did you do what Edward said you did? Did you take his sister?"

Both Bella and Edward could hear the huff of frustration come through the line. "No… I didn't know until I found her a couple of days after she'd arrived. As soon as I saw her I tried to…"

Something was definitely off, Edward could hear it in his voice; there was too much emotion. "Tried to what Jasper?" Bella asked softly.

"I begged him to let her go. I tried to make it seem like…"

"Jazz, what are you trying to say?"

"I don't know how he found out; we thought we'd been so careful but obviously not." Bella's eyes found Edward's and they could both see that they knew what Jasper was trying to say.

"Are you involved with my sister?" Edward asked in a controlled voice. He wasn't sure how he felt about this turn of events.

"No… I'm not _involved…_ I'm in _love_ with your sister as she is with me. I had nothing to do with her abduction so let my sister go you bastard, she has nothing to do with this!"

When he heard Jasper's declaration, Edward's eyes closed tight. He couldn't believe what an absolute fuck up this situation was becoming. Not only was he aware of his own ill-timed feelings for the woman in front of him but now his captive's brother was apparently in love with his sister!

"See Jasper, this is where I say, 'you first'… This whole situation would never have come about if your family hadn't taken my sister, now would it?"

"They're _not my_ family, blood does _not_ make family." Jasper growled. "My father knew what Alice meant to me, he _knew_ yet he still took her to teach me a lesson. If he considered _me_ family, he would never have done that. I owe him _nothing._ " Edward's brow raised in surprise of the venom he heard in Jasper's voice. It seemed as if the youngest Swan son was just as unhappy with his family as his twin and Edward were. "I'm only still here until I find a way to get her out, then we're gone."

"Over my dead body, you're gone; you'll take my sister nowhere. If your father is as smart as he thinks he is, then he won't fuck with me again and all of this will be over with tomorrow night."

"I told you before Edward," Bella said in a defeated voice. "…it's not my father's intelligence that's the issue here, it's his stubbornness and now we know _why_ he took your sister… He's not going to let this go without a fight."

And the plot thickens… hehehe

As always, let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

Well, it seems like everyone is enjoying the story so far! Things are definitely heating up in all  
aspects of their lives now hey!  
This chapter has drug use and nasty deeds, but it'll be short and... not so sweet.

* * *

Chapter 10

Now that she'd finally laid eyes on the man who'd taken her, Bella had no option but face her feelings, feelings that she'd been ignoring for days, because she felt them solidify around her like a cloak as soon as he came into focus… When she first woke up and realised what had happened to her, she was definitely shit-scared but she'd learnt early in her life how to show no fear; James had taught her well. But as she looked back over the time she'd spent captive, she realised that at no time did she ever feel fear when in Edward's presence. She definitely feared her situation, but not the man himself.

For weeks before he'd taken her, Bella would get the feeling she was being watched, it was a feeling she'd honed over years living with a psycho brother but she just thought it was some of her father's goons keeping an eye on her after she moved out on her own.

Each and every time Edward came into the room he kept her in, that familiar feeling returned, it didn't take her long to realise that it was because Edward had been the one who she'd felt watching her all along.

The feeling she got whenever he was really close however, well that was something very different, especially when their skin touched.

It wasn't until he'd left the room that she remembered seeing him around her regular haunts a few times. They were only glimpses but that was all she needed; he was _not_ someone easily forgotten. She had to stop herself from searching him out in the crowd one day, the desire to run after him was strong but after taking a step forward, she remembered that having an attachment was not in her big plan…

But she'd had a lot of conversations with Edward since he'd taken her and knowing what she knew of him now, well, those things didn't lessen her attraction to him at all; in fact it made her want to know more, a lot more. As had happened before, images of smiles and closeness and heated looks ran rampant behind unseeing eyes but when her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, she scoffed and rolled her eyes at herself. "Idiot…" she hissed under her breath.

=x=

Edward had to think… about so many things.

The situation he found himself in wasn't anything he ever thought possible, not in a million years and if someone had said that this would happen… well he would have rammed his gun in their lying mouth and shot their brains out. When this job first started out, Isabella Swan was just this young and beautiful tactical weapon in his plan to get his sister back, now she was… more. She was still young but older than her years, she was still beautiful but somehow more than all those weeks ago when he planned all this out… and she was no longer a weapon, though tactical she may still be.

After speaking with Jasper and finding out his link to Alice, Edward knew that the situation he thought 'sticky' only an hour ago was actually a huge tangled spider's web, hell… an hour ago he only had to worry about getting his sister out of this alive, now he had Bella and Jasper too.

He walked out of Bella's room on the promise that he'd be back soon after taking care of some things and one of those things was the still unconscious woman lying on the bench against the far wall. He looked down at the phone in his hand and brought up the last dialled number.

"Bella?" Jasper asked with hope.

"No… Did you mean it?" Edward asked.

"I meant everything I said but what specifically were you talking about?"

"What you said about my sister for starters."

"Yes, I'm in love with your sister." Jasper waited to see what other question he needed answering but Edward was silent. "Was that your question or was there something else?"

"Watch your tone, Swan." Edward warned. He shoved his fingers roughly through his hair as he tried to think. "Your sister asked me to save you, to not include you in my plans, now I learn that _my_ sister is only in this situation because of her relationship with you. You put her in your father's crosshairs and for that I _should_ kill you…" Edward thought long about his next move. "How loyal to your family are you, Jasper?"

"What kind of question is that?" Jasper scoffed angrily. "What do you expect me to say, Cullioni… very loyal? That would put me in _your_ crosshairs, but if I say that I'm not… well, that in itself speaks volumes in our world, doesn't it."

 _Normally…_ Edward thought to himself. "Bella is your family too."

Without any hesitation, Jasper spoke up. "Yes she is and I would die for my sister… and yours."

 _Fuck…_ Edward squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his face in frustration. How the fuck was he supposed to kill the bastard now… "Will he turn up tomorrow night?" Edward asked, not needing to explain himself.

"Yes, he will but he won't be alone."

"I know he won't…"

"No… I mean that he will have more than just who's in the car with him."

"Mmm… so will I and he won't know where he's going until he gets there. As I told your father, he picked the wrong family to fuck with when he took my sister. Will you be there too?"

"Yes."

"Keep this phone close," Edward said, "I'll call you soon. And Jasper… if you want your sister to live through this, you'll keep your mouth shut and do exactly what I say. I'm not threatening her life; I'm saying that a plan will be in place and if you cross me and try to take matters into your own hands, you risk her as well as Alice."

"My father lost my loyalty the moment he took Alice and used her to threaten me into submission, but Edward… my father isn't the one you need to keep your eyes on."

"Oh I know, Bella's already told me about your brother. I'll call you back."

The next phone call Edward made was one to his brother Emmett, the family cleaner. "Meet me at the hole." It was all he needed to say when he picked up; Edward knew that it would take him less than fifteen minutes to arrive so he walked over to the desk and pulled out the drugs. He had one last job to do and he didn't see any reason why Lauren needed to suffer any more than she already had throughout her life. She'd fulfilled her purpose and all without giving him any grief so he'd give her this… a better death than what she would have received on the streets. After filling up the syringe, he walked over and without any remorse, pushed the clear fluid into a vein in Lauren's arm; it didn't take long for her heart to stop.

When Emmett arrived, the brothers got to work; bodies were easier to dispose of when dismembered. Edward kept aside the foot that would be used as incentive if old man Swan tried anything else while Emmett bagged up the body parts whistling a tune.

"You know brother," Edward said with a smile, "… it's a little wrong that you take so much enjoyment in your work."

"Well, I would think it's a good thing really, considering how much work you throw my way. So what's happening with her?" Emmett asked nodding in the direction of Bella's room.

"The plan has changed." Edward said as they both set to cleaning up the mess, he then gave his brother a quick rundown of why their little sister was taken and the things Jasper had said, the only thing he didn't tell Emmett was the part of his changed feelings for his captive. But Emmett was no fool…

"Okay, but why this…" he asked pointing to the bags near their feet on the floor. "…why not just cut up the one you took? What aren't you telling me big bro?"

"Because she's _not_ to be hurt." Emmett raised a brow at the intensity in Edward's voice. He knew his brother extremely well so it didn't take him long to piece it all together and that shocked him more than anything else had in a long time.

"Do you have feelings for her, Edward?" When no answer came, Emmett had his answer. The last time Emmett had seen Edward open himself up to anything even resembling an emotional attachment was when he was eighteen. But that was before he was fully inducted into the family business.

Edward knew his brother had the answer he was after, so he decided to just get on with it. "The drop off is for tomorrow night at the east side warehouse. We won't get interrupted there and no-one knows it's one of ours."

"Which way will you bring them?" Emmett asked. He wanted so much to ask more about the Swan girl but knew it was _not_ the time. He was patient though… when he had to be.

"Goose-chase first but make sure Connor watches for stragglers after Parker Street."

Edward worked quickly through a plan for the following night, who would be stationed where, what fire power was needed and also a fall-back position if things didn't go to plan.

"I hope everything works the way you want it to Edward, of everyone I know, you deserve it the most."

"We'll see, Emmett… we'll see."

Once Emmett left, Edward walked back to the room where Bella waited. There was nothing he could do about the smell of bleach, he knew she'd smell it and work out what it was used for but he knew the time had come where she was no longer his hostage. Plus, he was done looking at her through night vision goggles.

* * *

Poor Lauren... but we all knew that things were not going to end well for her. And we get a little glimpse into Emmett... he'll be back though! :-)  
Don't forget to let me know what you think...  
Till next chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

Things are definitely looking up for our hostage in this chapter… a little more insight into what her life was like in the Swan household.  
I hope you all enjoy the ending… ;-)

* * *

Chapter 11

Bella was deep in thought. She was thinking about the life she had growing up and the people in it, both blood and acquaintance. She thought of the time she'd had so far while at college and the 'sort-of friends' that she'd made, but most of all she thought about what her life could be like with a new name, a new identity. It was only a matter of seconds into that fantasy that her new name and life started to mesh with the man who had taken her just over a week before. She knew it was nuts, that she was forming an unnatural attachment to someone she should fear but she was born into a very different lifestyle than the ordinary person… and in some ways, that lifestyle had prepared her for so many things. One being able to roll with the punches and to think on your feet, the other was recognising when to abandon a sinking ship. That left her with a question… _What's my next step?_ When she finally decided what that step was, she had to think of how to word it to the person who could make it happen and once that was straight she could only hope he'd answer positively.

Before going back into the room, Edward watched Bella on the monitor for a few minutes, her face showed much emotion, more than anyone else he knew. She was obviously doing some heavy thinking and Edward was more than a little interested in what was going on in that beautiful mind of hers. Taking a deep breath, he moved to the room and slowly opened the door; by Bella's lack of movement, it was clear she hadn't noticed his return.

"Bella…" Edward said gently, startling Bella out of her thoughts. "…come outside?" He stood stock still, holding his hand out as he watched her stand and walk towards him. If she was shocked by his request, she didn't show it as her eyes never left his and her expression never changed as she walked forward. When she was only a foot away from him, she stopped and swallowed down her nervousness.

"I want to ask you a question." She asked. Edward gave a nod and motioned for her to move out of what was her holding cell, but all she could think about was asking him something that in her world was tantamount to disloyalty, so she needed to ask before she lost her nerve. "What would you do if I said I didn't want to go back to my father?"

Edward's brow lifted at not only her question but at the first sign of nervousness he'd ever seen in her. He understood it and the reason for her heavy thinking only minutes before. "I'd want to know why before making a decision about that."

Bella took a breath as she tried to think about how to say all she needed to so that he'd help her. "You may not believe this but I've felt safer being here with you than pretty much any time growing up in my family home. As I told you before, after my mother died, Jasper was my only real safety and I tried to be near him as much as I could but that wasn't always possible; I grew eyes in the back of my head at an early age. College for me was a way to escape at least for a while but it was always my father's plan that once I finished, I'd go home and be married off. Needless to say that _my_ expectations of what college would do for me were vastly different to his… But now, after this…I have a feeling that once I'm back in his hands, my father will ensure that I'm married off as quickly as he can make it happen and that my future husband doesn't live in the US where this can happen again and I'll be safely locked away in an overseas fortress before you even get home with your sister."

Edward didn't like _any_ of what she'd just said, especially that last part. He stared at her while he quickly tried to organise his thoughts and then reached out, placing a hand at the small of her back. Without saying a word, he gently pushed Bella through the doorway, motioning for her to sit at one of the two chairs at the desk.

She could tell that Edward wasn't pleased with what she'd just told him and wasn't sure which part he was upset with the most, all she could do at this point was hope that he'd help her in some way. Once seated, Bella took in the room around her; the smell of cleaning products was strong in the air, namely bleach; she had a decent idea of what men in Edward's position would have needed that for. She'd never been involved with the dirty side of her family's business but she wasn't stupid and for a second she wondered if it had anything to do with her 'body parts' donor. But Edward's voice thankfully interrupted her line of thinking.

"You don't want to get married?" he asked as he sat beside her. She was a little taken back that after everything she'd just said that that was the question he chose to ask.

"Of course I do, one day. But I'd like to pick the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. When my father told me that I was to be married, I thought he meant that I had to hurry up and find someone but then he said he had three potential husbands in mind and he just had to pick which one would be a better ally to our family. They're all much older than me, two are here in the US but the oldest guy is widower in Italy, Arnaldo Scali but he goes by Aro." Edward's jaw clenched at the name of Aro Scali, his ruthlessness was well known, even towards his own family; the fact of six wives and three children mysteriously going missing could attest to that. "I put up a bit of a fight when he told me that."

Edward snorted at that image: he could imagine she would. "Sorry… go on…"

"My father and I fought for days, neither willing to concede, it ended up with me screaming that I'd kill myself before I married that man. If my father knows one thing about me is that I got my stubbornness from him."

"You, stubborn… really?" Edward said with a smirk.

"Anyway…" Bella said rolling her eyes. "I knew that short of somehow getting myself into witness protection and disappearing, I had no real way of getting out of being married but I could postpone it and maybe learn something that could help me disappear, so I proposed a deal. If he let me go to college first; have some sort of life… then I wouldn't fight him over the marriage. I figured it gave me a few years to work on a plan to get out of it." Bella looked up into Edward's eyes to make sure he would hear what she was about to say. "I won't let my father's future for me happen."

Edward stared into her eyes and saw the determination, he knew her well enough by now to know she meant what she said. "I won't let it happen either, Isabella." Bella could feel the relief wash over her. As he watched the tightness in her demeanour leave her body and eyes, he couldn't stop what he'd wanted to do for days… he reached out to cup her cheek in his hand and his heart jumped at the feeling coursing through him. "Just say the word and I'll make sure he never touches you again."

"How?"

Edward thought of what was to go down the next night and knew he didn't have long to re-organise things. He looked at his watch and saw it was nearly 2am… "Do you trust me to make it happen?"

"Yes…"

"You'll do whatever I tell you to do, no matter what it is?"

"Yes…"

Edward couldn't help but smirk. "You really shouldn't have said that, Bella. I could demand all sorts of shit that you may not agree with." She didn't acknowledge his innuendo, no matter how much she wanted to.

"I saw you, you know, before you took me."

"I know." He nodded, wondering where she was going with this.

"I felt you watching me too; it felt like this but all over." She said as she put her hand over his where it still rested on her cheek.

Edward held his breath…"Like what?"

"Like the buzzing that I feel every time you touch me."

 _She feels this too…_ Edward thought to himself. He didn't think about what he did next though, he just did it. He slipped his hand around the back of her head and pulled her to him. The moment their lips touched, his mind went blank. His body heated, his mouth watered and his cock hardened. Their kiss was hard and frantic, both devouring and when they pulled apart to breathe, he delighted to find that she was now straddling his lap. He could tell by the look on her face that she wanted this too but he'd never take what wasn't offered. "Last chance to say no, Bella, and I won't _ever_ give you back if this happens between us."

Bella rolled both lips in between her teeth in answer before smiling back at him; she'd never been this forward with anyone before and while logically she knew it was nuts because this man had kidnapped her, her heart was about to beat its way out of her chest in excitement. She couldn't for the life of her, stop him… she just didn't want to, every fibre of her being was pulsing in absolute conviction that this was right even though she was more nervous than she'd ever been before.

Edward smiled back as he pulled her tight up against him. She gasped as she felt him hard underneath her and again when he stood up. "Wrap your legs around me." Edward told her. He could see she was nervous and had a good guess why so he wasn't about to do this on a chair in the room he'd just helped chop up a drugged out prostitute in. Their eyes stayed locked as Edward walked out of the cellar and up the flight of stairs.

* * *

Things were going to move along a little more originally, but I added a little more to this chapter and then had it ending in a place where you may not like it to… lol… So now there's something to look forward to in a few days!

Let me know what you think…

Sandy


	12. Chapter 12

So sorry for the delay, my only excuse is 'life'… it got in the way!  
Well, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for,  
It's the longest chapter yet, so hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as Bella!

* * *

Chapter 12

When they finally got inside the house, Bella's eyes darted around and took in her surroundings, it wasn't what she expected. "We're in a house."

"Yes, changed your mind yet, Princess?"

"Nope, not yet." He expected her to stop him at some point but he was going to take whatever she'd give him, he was after all a selfish man.

It didn't take him long to make his way up to the second story, to the bedroom he kept for himself. He kicked the door shut behind him and then turned around to back her up against it. But before he took her mouth again, he looked down between them and grabbed the hem of her shirt, lifting it up over her left breast. His eyes lifted back to Bella's as he pulled the cup of her bra down. "Are you a virgin, Bella?" he asked as he rolled her nipple between his fingers. He could feel her heart beating madly under his palm.

While not usually an overly huge 'blusher', Bella was well aware that she'd blushed on and off constantly for a while now. But when Edward asked if she was a virgin, her face flamed hotter than she'd ever felt.

She wasn't completely inexperienced, but the first and only time she'd been caught in a compromising position by one her father's minions when she was fifteen had taught her to steer clear of all males; she couldn't handle the thought of another boy dying because of her. Since then, no male looked at her anyway and then once she finally got to college, her need to keep good grades so her father wouldn't have an excuse to bring her home was more than enough to keep her away from guys. "Why does it matter?"

"I have done many bad things in my life Bella, but I've _never_ hurt a woman sexually and I never will. I have to know what I can and can't do; what you're ready for and what you're not." Edward asked.

She could only imagine what his words meant. "Yes, I'm a virgin."

Edward had never been with a virgin before. When he was thirteen, his grandfather told him, _"… the only time you take a woman's virginity is when you marry one Edward, just fuck women who knew what they were doing."_ But in the position Edward now found himself in, he realised that he rather liked the idea of taking Bella's. He pressed himself hard against her body and then licked the shell of her ear. He knew he was being repetitive but he had to give her every chance to back out. "Are you still saying yes, Isabella?" he asked as he bit gently at her lobe at the same time he pulled hard against her nipple.

" _YES!_ Oh God…" she puffed out on a panting breathe.

Finally, he took her mouth with his, pushing his tongue inside her hot wet mouth. The feel of her tongue rubbing against his own went straight to his cock, making it pulse harder. His left hand moved down from her ass to wrap around her thigh and the feel of his rough hand against her skin as it moved upwards had her clenching her legs tighter around him. Bella let out a deep moan into Edward's mouth as his thumb brushed against the saturated cotton between her legs. The heat and wetness left no doubt as to how much she was enjoying this.

Edward couldn't remember the last time he'd been as hard, years maybe, definitely when he was a teenager. For some time now sex had become something to do rather than something to enjoy but as he slipped his thumb under the soft material and finally came into contact with her slick, soft skin, he felt a sense of anticipation. He let out a low rumble of pleasure before kissing her harder.

Somehow his mind clicked into gear and Edward took a few steps backwards before turning and lowering them both to the mattress on the floor. Automatically, Bella's legs opened wider to accommodate his body and when he looked into her deep brown eyes and ran his fingers down her cheek, he knew he had to ask again.

"You're so beautiful, Bella. You have options here, this doesn't have to go any further; I'll even help you with your plans to disappear if that's what you want. No-one will _ever_ find you unless you want them to; you can have a life away from all of this…" Bella shook her head and was going to say something but Edward put a finger over her open mouth, he needed her to understand him… completely. "I meant what I said before Princess; I won't let you go once this happens." When Edward continued to stare at her, she reached up and pulled his lips down to hers.

It was all the permission he needed, there would be no more asking. His hips slowly rocked against hers and as each piece of dirty material fell away he saw the effect of his imprisonment of her… he didn't like it.

Once completely bare to him, he kissed her lips, the tips of each puckered breast, her navel and the top of her mound before standing up and holding his hand out to her.

"What…?" Bella breathed out.

"Hold out your hand…" he said with a smirk. When Bella shook her head 'no', he rephrased himself. "Take my hand… please." He was pleased when she smiled and their fingers linked. He bent down to the bedside table and opened the draw where a box of condoms sat. Edward was confused when Bella stopped him.

"We don't need them; I've got the implant so I'm good for another couple of years. I didn't know if I'd ever get to…you know," she shrugged, "…but I wanted to make sure if I did, that I'd be covered. My life, and the guy's, would be over if I wound up pregnant."

Leaving the draw open, he kissed her once before moving away from the bed. When she realised he was leading her to the bathroom, she flushed with embarrassment. How could she have forgotten how dirty she was?

Edward reached in and turned the water on to heat up before turning back to Bella. Shamelessly, he slowly revealed himself to her. Bella eagerly took in his sculptured torso, his muscular chest had her biting her lip in an effort to stop herself moaning out loud but when his jeans fell to the floor, she whimpered. Muscles and popping veins pointed down one very hard cock; she didn't know where to put her eyes. The sight made her flush more than she already was, she may not have seen any men this up close and personal before but she could see he was definitely on the larger side of normal. She tried to keep her eyes averted but they were like moths to a flame, they kept going back to it. She was nervous, excited and wriggling as her body on instinct; she didn't see the small grin on Edward's face as he watched her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

When she saw Edward's hand in her line of vision, she looked up into his smiling eyes and scoffed, "Could you try not to look so smug, please." Edward's rich laughter rang out as she put her hand in his then stepped into the shower. He loved her obvious innocence as much as her fiery strength even when embarrassed.

Edward followed then reached around her to grab the soap. "I'm doing this for a few reasons, Bella. For one, I'm hoping you could see it as a metaphorical 'clean slate' between us…" he explained as he ran his hands over her slick, wet body. "For two, it's only right that it be me to wash away the dirt that I forced onto you. And lastly…" Bella's eyes rolled as he brought his hands up to squeeze both breasts. "I want to make your first time something good… untainted."

Her previous thoughts of why he took her to the shower melted away with his words as she watched his hands move gently over her skin, he was practically vibrating as he took her in while he spoke. He could tell she'd lost weight and he hated himself for doing that to her. Bella on the other hand was so turned on, she just decided to go with the flow and enjoy what he was doing.

He saw the moment she relaxed so he moved in close and wrapped his arms around her. She was now covered in soap, front and back and Edward couldn't help but move his body slowly against hers. The feeling was indescribable… especially when she turned around to face him. The sensation of her slipping against him made his whole body tingle in a way it had never done before. Edward dipped slightly and positioned his now throbbing cock between her legs then grabbed onto her ass cheeks and ground himself against her hips.

"Ungh… shit…" Bella moaned out.

Rocking back and forth through the slickness that coated the lips of Bella's pussy, Edward watched as her breaths increased and her pupils dilated; she was breathtaking. He leant forward and kissed, sucked and licked the long column of her neck. He'd never taken the time to just feel a woman like this before, to enjoy the teasing. He knew that from now on, he would be doing this every chance he got.

He could tell she was about to cum but he didn't want that to happen just yet so he moved back to look down at Bella's face; he took immense pleasure seeing her so turned on. Slowly, he stepped her backwards under the water to rinse off the soap and lingering dirt. He would have liked for her hair to be clean too but he knew he couldn't wait that long, plus he'd have her back in the shower before too long anyway. Once she was clean enough, he moved her out from under the spray.

"Now… where was I?" he said before kissing from her neck down to her amazing breasts. As he feasted from one to the other, his hand moved down to between her legs. He practically purred as his fingers slipped around her softest flesh. They glided soft circles around her engorged clit before giving a little tug, her moans and gasps were making him almost crazy with desire. He couldn't wait anymore.

Bella's eyes shot open when she felt him drop to his knees. She tensed knowing what he was about to do, she'd never had anyone that close to her down there and knowing it was him… Edward could feel how tense she was as he lifted one leg up and over his shoulder, but he knew that would change soon enough. "Just feel, Bella. Your pussy is beautiful and I can't wait to feast on you." He looked at the beautiful body in front of him and realised just how much he liked the idea that no-one had been where he was about to be.

With one hand, he opened the lips of her pussy and then took a long, slow lick. He pushed his nose against her clit at the same time he circled her entrance with the point of his tongue. Bella's eyes clenched shut as did her hands in his hair; her reaction spurred him on as much as her taste. It had been many years since he'd done this and had no intention of stopping until she came down his throat.

A long, strong finger circled around her entrance, before slowly pushing inside her body. The feeling had Bella clench tight around him, which earned her a growl. All Edward could think of was how it would feel when she did that around his cock. When Bella felt a second finger push inside her, her toes started to tingle. "Yesss…" she hissed out. The feeling of his fingers stretching her was amazing but it was quickly overshadowed by what his tongue was doing to her clit. The feelings were so immense she had to look down and when she did… Edward was looking straight at her. That was all it took… _"FUCK!"_ Bella screamed out as her orgasm hit. It wasn't her first; she'd managed to get herself off a few times before but it had never felt as like that.

When Edward felt her knee start to buckle, he lowered her leg off his shoulder to the floor before standing up again. He'd never seen anything as erotic; he needed to see it again. While Bella's body jerked with aftershocks, Edward added a third finger, stretching her enough to take him for the first time. His mouth invaded hers in a possessive kiss. His determined tongue probed and rubbed inside her mouth in the same motion as his fingers between her legs; it didn't take long before she felt another orgasm started to build.

He could feel her walls tightening, so he pulled his fingers out and lifted her up. With no regard to how wet they both were, nor the fact that the shower was still running, Edward walked out of the cubicle and back into the bedroom. He couldn't take his eyes off Bella as he lowered down onto the mattress. He watched her intently as he reached down to position himself against her heated core.

"Keep looking at me." Edward told her as he slowly pushed forward. _Fuck she's tight…_ Edward thought to himself as Bella's body accepted him inch by agonising inch. "Fuck… Bella… That's it beautiful… take me in." he whispered into her ear. He could see she was uncomfortable but he knew it would get better, so when he felt the resistance of her barrier, he reached down and circled her clit with is fingers. Edward rocked back and forth as he worked Bella back up and as soon as she started to climax, he thrust his cock deep inside, breaking through her innocence.

The pinch of pain Bella felt as Edward pushed completely inside of her was sharp but not painful enough to stop her body from continuing to come around his rock solid cock. His hands squeezed her ass cheeks as he rocked in and out of her. His hot breath at her neck and ear had her feet tingling once more; she couldn't put words to how she was feeling.

"I can't keep… Oh fuck…" Bella's eyes clenched as Edward sped up, his cock hitting hard inside her. One, two, three thrusts were all it took for Edward to come deep inside her… He yelled out as shocks of pleasure shot out to his extremities; it was the first time he'd ever experienced a full body orgasm and every inch of him felt its fire…

"Yeah," Edward said panting hard against the skin of Bella's neck, "… I'm _never_ giving you back… you're _mine_."

Bella giggled just as she started to yawn. Edward looked down into the eyes of the woman he'd so quickly grown attached to and gently kissed her swollen lips. "Thank you Edward, for making my first time a good memory."

"It'll only get better, Bella." Slowly, he pulled out of her body and when he looked down and found a small bit of blood on his cock and fingers, he couldn't help but grin. "Stay here, I'll be back in a sec…"

Edward walked into his ensuite and grabbed a washer from the cabinet. He quickly cleaned himself before walking back into the bedroom. Bella's eyes were closed and he thought she'd fallen asleep but as he stood looking down at her, Bella's eyes opened. "I'm so tired." She whispered drowsily.

"I wore you out." Edward said smiling. He pulled at the sheet that Bella had brought up around her but she had a good grip on it. "I just want to clean you up, make you feel better."

Bella nodded and let go of the sheet. This was still so new to her so having him do this was a little embarrassing for her. "Thank you." She said as he tossed the washer to the floor.

After Edward climbed under the sheet and spooned himself up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her. "I meant what I said Bella, I'm not giving you back." If Bella was being honest, she was a little concerned that he'd only been with her to spite her father so his words were exactly what she needed to hear. He didn't see, but she smiled before letting out a yawn.

"Sleep Bella, I'm right here." Edward said with a kiss to her shoulder. It didn't take long for her to drift off; Edward however was still wide awake. When he was sure she was sound, he got out of their makeshift bed to grab a blanket to keep Bella warm, then grabbed his phone to call his brother. Less than an hour later, a plan was in place to not only get their sister back but to bring Bella and her twin, Jasper, into their fold.

* * *

Well… there you go! The deed is done and Bella's V card has officially been cashed in! LOL… What do you all think will happen next? Will Charlie redeem himself as a father, will he play nice? Let me know what you all think!


	13. Chapter 13

Well, here's the next chapter… this wasn't in the story when it was a one-shot but since extending it, this (and ch 14) have been added in… E&B got a little carried away and overtook the chapter, but I'm pretty sure you guys won't mind too much!

(not beta'd, so let me know if there's any typo's)

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Chapter 13

Bella could feel the warmth of the sun against her cheek as she slowly fought her way through her sleepy haze. For a moment, she forgot the things that had happened to her over the last nearly two weeks, but as the memories flooded into her head, so did the smell of food…

Her eyes opened and she found herself staring at a side on view of a well-muscled male body, a naked one at that.

"Good morning, Princess." Edward greeted. He'd been sitting beside Bella for about ten minutes or so, just watching… he'd also been trying to work out what it was about her that drew him in so hard. When he saw that she was starting to wake, he went down to the kitchen and pulled out the plate of food from the oven that he'd had his brother bring over; he owed her some decent food…at least. It wasn't the pasta she'd wanted but he didn't think she'd turn down a good helping of sausages, bacon, fried eggs and waffles with syrup.

"You're still here."

"Where else would I be?" He asked as he bent down to kiss her still slightly swollen lips. "Sit up, I've brought you breakfast. I hope you're hungry."

The smell and promise of food was all Bella's stomach needed to make itself known. Edward and Bella both laughed as a loud grumble sounded out. "Smell's good. It had better be something good; otherwise you'll be going out again."

"Oh really?" Edward asked in amusement. "I've got the makings of a mean sandwich downstairs if this isn't up to your standards."

"Eh, if I never eat another sandwich, it'll be too soon." Bella said as she sat up. She didn't see Edward's face at first but when she did, she didn't know what to make of his expression. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry… for everything I've put you through. You didn't deserve that."

"No, I didn't, but what's done is done, you'll just have to wait on me hand and foot until I forgive you." Bella said as she watched him reach for something on the floor. She waited until he looked at her before she started to smile. "Unless you piss me off again, then we'll be right back at square one."

Edward let out a quick laugh. "Eat your bloody food, you minx." He said as he handed over the warm plate of food. He smiled as he watched her expression and then shovel the food into her mouth with gusto. He was pretty sure she liked it. "Well Princess…?"

"Huh, it's a step in the right direction." She said around a mouthful of food. Edward was about to say something when his phone started to ring. He pulled it out of the pocket of his jeans and saw it was Emmett.

"What's up?" he asked.

"We may have a bit of a problem."

"From…." Edward had an idea who this was about but he needed specifics.

"Daddy dearest and big bad bro… seems like they're trying to call in favours. I got a phone call about an hour ago from Demetri, they tried to… 'make plans' with him; he's pretty sure he's not the only one they've contacted." Demetri Markov was a gun for hire, one the Cullioni's had used on many occasions. They paid him well, not only for the jobs but for his loyalty. Edward wondered how many of his 'cultivated friendships' would pay off in this instance.

"What time?" Even though the phones were throwaways and the house was fitted out with jammers, they always made sure that they spoke in code with matters like this just in case someone was listening. Edward wanted to know how much old man Swan was offering to have him taken out.

"For you… two." _Two million…_ Edward scoffed; he was insulted that that's all they thought he was worth. "Hang on, I've just got another email come in." While Emmett was quiet, Edward turned to see Bella had cleaned up her plate of all the food.

"How did you get all that down?" He asked her.

"You'd be amazed what I can shove down my throat when I'm hungry." The instant she realised what she'd actually said, Bella's face flamed in embarrassment, Edward on the other hand roared out laughing. He fell to his side as tears started to fall, he could barely breathe. At first, Bella didn't know how to take his amusement but then she felt incensed. "Stop laughing, Edward, you know I didn't mean it that way."

She started to playfully hit him, which only made him laugh more. In an effort to stop her flying fists, Edward grabbed her by the wrists. He pulled her down to him, flipping her onto her back in the process. Looking down into her smiling eyes, he realised what it was about her that drew him in… it was everything. Her eyes, her beauty, her heart, her fire… her ability to make him laugh and the way he felt lighter in her presence, and that was just the start of a constantly growing list in his head. There was not one person alive who would have attempted to hit him like Bella just did and she was the one person who should have every reason to fear him… but she'd never feared him, he knew that now. That connection was there right from the start, for the both of them it seemed.

One second he was staring down at her, the next he was moaning out at the taste of syrup on her tongue and lips. Things were getting heated fast but then he thought he heard something. He pulled away and looked around the room. "Oops…" he whispered when he realised Emmett was yelling at him through the phone that lay on the bed beside him. "I haven't finished with you yet…" His eyes never left Bella's as he picked up the phone to listen to his brother. "Sorry Emmett, I got distracted, what were you saying?"

Bella giggled as she heard a man swearing his head off at Edward.

"…think with your big head for a fucking minute. I'm trying to work out how many eyes…"

" _Emmett_! Shut the _fuck_ up and watch your tone, brother. I know what you're trying to do so take a deep breath and fucking calm yourself down; tell me what that email was about." Emmett may be his brother and most trusted man but if anyone was standing around and heard him speak to Edward like that, it could seriously undermine his authority and that was not a good thing when everyone around you were trained killers.

"Sorry bro… Okay, I've had three emails come in from other 'acquaintances', they all read the same, contact has been made. Although, it looks like your worth is increasing…"

"Okay," Edward said taking a deep breath. "… I'll have my last incentive delivered and let him know that I know what he's up to. It'll either make him back off or drive the price up. You never know brother; I could be worth more than Bill Gates by tonight." Edward realised that posed more trouble for him but he'd just have to hope his reputation would deter certain people until he could finish this.

"Not something to joke about Edward. There are a lot of dickheads out there who could think it's their way out."

"Well, you're the only one who knows where we are, so I'll know who to haunt if I'm found… I'll let you know when the package has been sent." Edward ended the call and looked over to Bella's worried eyes. "I was only mucking around, we're safe here Princess."

"I have a feeling that you don't take my father all that seriously but you shouldn't underestimate him, Edward. If he can't find someone reliable to get the job done, he'll hire as many sewer rats as he can find." Bella had seen the street thugs her father had hired for jobs over the years. She'd heard him refer to them as his 'overflowing cup of desperation', easily replaced when they fucked up.

"Bella, I don't underestimate anyone; not your father, my father, your brother, my brother… you."

Bella was taken aback by his statement and a little hurt if she were honest. "Me… why me?"

"Because I have no doubt you'd be a fierce adversary, Bella." _Well, when you put it that way…_ Bella thought to herself. "I was born into this life, Princess; I don't have many memories that have nothing to do with it. I've done and seen things that you couldn't imagine even though you were born into the same life as I was. But being the eldest son, the one that's been groomed to be exactly what I am… well, I haven't got this far by underestimating anyone. I've made pre-empting others into an art form." Edward could tell she was going to say more, but he needed to get started on plans so this next part would be handled while getting ready. "Come with me. If you really want to know more then I'll tell you, but we need to get ready."

Bella took his hand and let him pull her out of the bed, her eyes widened and her face flooded red when her eyes landed on his completely naked body. She averted them to find Edward staring at her with unashamed hunger and realised why… she was naked too. Hastily, she looked down only to be met with a rapidly hardening cock… "Fuck…" She gasped as she closed her eyes.

"I don't know what I like more…" Edward said laughing softly. "Your fire, your sinfully beautiful body, your dirty mouth or that fucking innocent blush… You are a contradiction of terms my beautiful Bella, one I plan on getting to know intimately on a daily basis." His words lit up her entire being. She looked up at him, her eyes landing hard on his lips and instant before she pounced.

It was as if he knew what she was going to do before she did it. The force of her jumping at him made Edward take a step back, but his arms wrapped tight around Bella's body as his lips took hers hard. Her legs wound around his waist instinctively as he picked her up off the floor; she didn't understand what was happening to her, she'd never felt this out of control in her life.

Somewhere in lust addled mind, she heard the shower turn on but it was as if her brain was taking a back seat to her body's need. "Oh fuck, I need you…" Edward growled out. One hand moved up from where he held her thigh to grip her ass, his long fingers quickly finding her dripping pussy. Slowly but intently, he pushed them into her warm body; her eyes closing with the feeling. He loved how easily she gave over to her body's desires.

Bella gasped and her eyes opened as her back hit the cold tiles. "I'll never get enough of you Bella, never." Edward said as he reached between then to position himself at her entrance. With one hard thrust, he pushed himself inside to the hilt. As Bella yelled out, he covered her mouth with his own and set about making her forget about the slight pain he saw cross her beautiful face. "You can take it, Princess." he mumbled.

Edward's pace had Bella's head swimming within a few thrusts; he could feel her body clutching him tighter and tighter with every stroke. "Oh God, oh God…" Bella panted.

"Open your eyes, Isabella." Edward ordered, it was a command Bella couldn't help but comply with. As soon as she focused on his face, on his smouldering green eyes, she fell over into an orgasm that nearly made her black out. The intensity of it was such that Edward couldn't help but follow, his whole body shuddering and breaking out in goosebumps. He pulled his face away from Bella's neck and looked into her blissed out eyes and smirked. "What are you doing to me, Bella?" he whispered.

* * *

Mmm, yes, what is she doing? Lol… Okay, I'm pretty sure things will get back on track with the next chapter, so I hope you like it. Till next time…

Let me know what you think so far…


	14. Chapter 14

They're getting closer… a little quick I suppose but in their world, I think  
most things are on a timetable… and our boy isn't getting  
any younger! Lol… Thanks for reading!

* * *

Chapter 14

After finding Bella some satin boxers and a t-shirt, Edward called his brother.

"How's things brother?" Emmett asked.

"Can't complain." Before he could say more, his brother spoke.

"What are you doing, Edward?" Instantly Edward's hackles rose up, he didn't like being questioned, especially in that tone.

"You know damn well what we're doing."

" _We're_ not doing anything; I'm talking about _you_ fucking our captive."

Edward took a breath and clenched his jaw before walking out into the hallway. When he spoke again, his voice was low, controlled. "Be very careful with what you say next, Emmett, and how you say it."

"Or what, you gonna shoot _me,_ your own brother over a hostage?"

"She's no longer my hostage Emmett, I thought you understood that?"

"Edward… she's playing you. She's a fucking Swan; she's probably been taught how to get herself out of situations just like this her whole life. You know as well as I do, women can and do use themselves to get whatever the fuck they want, and she wants to live and to escape… and she's fucking all common sense right out of your brain."

"She's not playing around, Emmett."

"Oh really?" he let out an unamused snort. "Did she tell you some sob story before she opened her legs? I bet she's had some good teachers in her life…"

Edward cut him off before Emmett said something that was going make him forget that he loved his brother. "Not that you deserve to know, _brother…_ but she was a virgin."

"Uh-huh, even if that's true, you think she still wouldn't use what God gave her to get your guard down, Edward."

"Emmett, because I _know_ that you're only looking out for me, I'm going to forget this conversation took place but one more word on this and my memory will return. Understand me brother?"

"Fine." Emmett's reply was short but Edward heard everything his brother wasn't saying… _'You're wrong'… 'She's gonna betray you'… 'Don't expect me to feel sorry for you when I'm proven right.'…_

Before Emmett pissed him off anymore, Edward spoke. "Call the capo's and get them over here; we need to get tonight's plan finalised. I need to send the reminder to Swan, so the men have an hour or two before they need to arrive." He thought about what Bella was currently wearing and while he rather liked it, he didn't want the other men to see her this way, so he walked back into the bedroom to find her standing at the window. By the look on her face, Edward was pretty sure she'd heard what his conversation to Emmett was about. "What size clothes do you wear?" he asked when she looked at him.

"A two… why?"

"Get Rose to grab some size 2 clothes for Bella… jeans, t-shirt and underclothes. And more food too, we're starving." He ended the call before his brother could say anything else.

"He's right you know."

"About what?"

"I may have only heard your side of the conversation, but I'm pretty sure I know what he said… Something along the lines of women doing whatever they had to do to achieve what they wanted in certain situations. I would expect being kidnapped with the very real possibility of not living at the end of it, to be one of those situations."

As Edward stood in the doorway and looked at Bella, he took in her words. His 'spidey-senses' as his father would say, weren't firing. His ability to _read_ people had always been his gift, he knew when people were lying to him, he knew subterfuge… he had a PHD in that shit and he knew with everything in him, the woman in front of him was as real as they come. "Are you telling me that I should kill you right now, Bella… before your plan of deception through sex has a chance to succeed?"

"You could, but then you'd never really know, would you? And that would be an itch you'd never be able to scratch for the rest of your life." She could see that Edward was trying his utmost not to smile so she thought she'd help it along. She cocked an eyebrow and smirked.

"Sassy wench…" he muttered as he gave in. As he walked towards her, he couldn't keep his eyes of her legs. They were thinner than they should have been and he had every intention of rectifying that over the next couple of weeks; he couldn't wait until they were back to their normal curvy, muscular shape. While he watched and learnt her patterns, he'd often found himself staring at them…

His conversation with his brother had him worked up and the woman in front of him was stirring him up even more… "Don't look at me like that. I know what you're thinking and it's not happening."

"Oh, you know what I'm thinking now do you? Are you sure about that?"

"Fuck yeah… so fuck off!" Her reply made him laugh. He'd never been spoken to in the manner she did and he loved it… from _her_! He smiled as he cupped her cheek in his hand.

"There's a lot going on this morning. Emmett will be here shortly with clothes and food and then some of my men will be here to talk about what's going on tonight. Stay up here until you can change clothes and _then_ you can come down."

 _Stay here… then you can come down?_ Bella was about to tell him where he could shove his orders but then her survival instincts kicked in. Even after all that they'd done together, she wasn't sure how far she could push him…

"You're dying to tell me off, aren't you?" Edward said with a smirk.

The smirk gave Bella all the permission she needed. "You may have found your way into my pants, Edward but I'm sick of being ordered around; I won't let you be my next overlord." Her heart pounded as she waited to see if she'd cop a hit like she would have from her father.

He stared down at her, basking in her fiery strength; it warmed his soul like nothing had before… and in all the right places. "Oh I don't know about that Bella, I think you like me over you very, very much." She couldn't hold in her laugh at his words.

"That's better…" Edward said quietly. "As I said, Emmett will be here soon with some clothes; I need to go out for about an hour. The other men don't know you, so I would _suggest_ that you stay up here until I get back."

"You're leaving me here on my own?" Bella asked in surprise, when he nodded, she couldn't help but ask the obvious question. "Aren't you worried that I'm going to bolt?"

"I can't keep you locked up for the rest of your life, Bella so I have to start trusting you sometime now don't I…" he said with a shrug, "Though, I hope that you won't leave, I'm finding that I rather like having you around." He bent down to kiss her lips lightly and then walked out of the room. "Back soon…"

Bella just stared at the open door. She wasn't sure how long she stood there for because she was sure he was going to come back but when he didn't she walked out into the hallway. "Edward?" she called out while listening for any sound. When she got no reply, she went further to where she was sure the stairs were. Looking down into the foyer of the older home, she slowly went down, still expecting someone to jump out at her. "Edward…?"

Bella walked around the ground floor, searching all the rooms before she realised she was truly alone. She walked to the front door expecting it to be locked, but it wasn't so she opened it and walked out onto the porch. Looking around, she found herself looking down a very, very long driveway; she was clearly _no longer in Kansas_. "Even if I wanted to run, where the fuck would I go?" she said to herself. It was a few seconds before she realised what she'd just said; she really didn't want to run… She walked out onto the path in front of her and tilted her face up to the sun, it had been a while since she felt its warmth and she couldn't help but lift her arms out to her side and smile. It wasn't just the sun that made her smile… it was the feeling of being trusted so completely. She knew that Edward leaving her on her own like this was his way of showing his trust in her. Taking a deep breath of clean fresh air into her lungs, she turned around and walked back into the house with a belly full of butterflies.

-x-

Edward stood halfway up the driveway behind a tree, watching Bella as she smiled up at the sky; her beauty practically took his breath away. Everything in him told him that he could trust Bella but his brother had sowed this little seed of doubt and with everything that would be going down that night, he needed to kill that seed immediately. When Bella opened the front door, the instant he saw her face he knew his trust was well founded; she would not run from him.

He'd heard his brother's car pull up on the roadside near where he'd left his car a few minutes before and it didn't take long before he heard two sets of footsteps come up behind him. "I'd ask what you're doing but I doubt you'd give me a straight answer." Emmett said.

"Just watching, brother." Edward said, never taking his eyes off Bella. When she turned around and walked back into the house, Edward turned around to face his brother and father. "Dad…"

"Son…" Carlisle said in greeting. He was amused but also wondering what was going on. "You look like the cat that ate the canary. And I know how much you love eating birds."

Edward smirked at his father's innuendo. "Must take after you, old man…" Carlisle smiled as he saw something in his eldest son's face he'd never seen before… happiness; an ease that was only achieved in the arms of a special woman.

"Was that a test?" Emmett asked with a nod of his head towards the house.

"No, I knew she wouldn't run, I just wanted to see how long it would take before she defied me after telling her to stay upstairs; nearly ten minutes, I really must have shocked her by leaving her alone." He laughed as he started to walk off. When they got back to where the cars were, Edward spoke up. "I'll be back soon, I've got to go deliver Swan's incentive package. Be nice Emmett."

"Watch out for hired guns, Edward. We're not friends with all of them."

"I will, it should only take an hour at most to get back here."

As Edward drove off, Carlisle turned to his youngest son. "I'd be nice to her if I were you, Em. I have a feeling she's going to be around for a really long time _and_ she'll have your brother's ear…"

* * *

Sorry for the delay... busy life atm, but tomorrow is end of month here in Oz and then it'll settle down at work for a while... :-) Chapter 15 will be up in a few days!  
So… daddy makes an appearance. Wonder what he'll think of Bella and vice versa? And what's Edward up to? As always, let me know what you think…


	15. Chapter 15

Hi again… First up, sorry it took so long to get the last chapter out, busy end of month at work and a week's holiday meant limited time to write…  
But, here's the next chapter… with a few new players!

* * *

Chapter 15

Edward returned to the area he'd found the kid in the night before but there was no sign of him but there were others. Again, he waited for someone to notice him rather than call out and have too many eyes on him and then motioned him over.

"I need a delivery made," Edward said in his fake Irish accent. "There's a hundred in it for you if you do it now."

"I don't run drugs man." The kids said.

"Not drugs and before you ask, it's nothin' that goes bang either, just a surprise and I want to keep my identity a secret for a bit… but I'm sure once they see what's in here, they'll know it was me."

"Where's it goin'?"

"It'll take ya 'bout fifteen to walk there. Well…? If you don't want the green, let me know and I'll find someone who does."

It didn't take the kid long to make up his mind. "Yeah, I'll do it."

"Good… I'll follow you to make sure you actually take it to where it's to go. I'll give ya half now, half when the job's done… deal?"

"Yeah…" Edward gave the well-sealed box and a piece of paper with Swan's address to the kid and waited. "Where's the money?" The kid asked.

"Don't open that box, tis not meant for you. Remember, I'll be followin' and watchin' ya. Hand it over and then leave, no chit chat." The kid nodded, holding out his hand for the money. As soon as Edward handed it over, he turned around and walked away at a quick pace. "I'll meet you back here when the job's done." Edward called out.

It took the kid less than ten minutes to get to the address. He looked up at the huge house before looking back at the address to make sure he didn't make a mistake… he had a bad feeling. But, he needed the money, so he walked up to the gate and looked around.

"Go away kid." A guard said as he walked out from behind some bushes.

"I've got a delivery."

The guard, Felix, had been on duty the night before when the last delivery was made, narrowed his eyes at the sight of the large box. "Who gave it to you?" he asked.

"I don't know… some scruffy Irish guy with a beard." Felix knew what Cullioni looked like and most of his men and that didn't match anyone he knew. He had no idea who it was and he was about to send the kid away without taking the box when he heard a car coming down the driveway; the sound taking his attention away from the gate. When he turned back to tell the kid to go, he was met with empty space and a box on the ground.

"Oh fuck…" He reached into the right pocket of his jacket and pressed a button on the remote and then once the gate was open enough, he picked up the box. Felix was pretty sure of what he was going to find inside, he just hoped it wasn't; his boss was in the worst mood already and another body part was going to get its delivery boy a bullet.

"What's that?" Felix looked up to find to find the occupant of the big black Mercedes staring at him with hard eyes.

"A delivery for the boss, Mr Scali." When all he got in reply was a lifted eyebrow, Felix knew it was time to open the box.

"Well…?"

 _Oh fuck it all to hell…_ Felix thought to himself. Quickly he pictured the lackey he was going to get to hand it over to Charles Swan. "It's a… message sir. I'll need to get this up to the house."

Aro Scali's eyes narrowed at the implication so he walked over and looked into the box. "First a finger, now a foot, there won't be much left soon." As Aro pulled a phone from the breast pocket of his Armani suit, shots rang out close by.

=x=

Edward watched the delivery from his car a short distance away. He couldn't see a lot, but he did see a guard pick up the box from where the kid had dropped it. He wondered why the gate wasn't shutting straight away so slowly inched his car forward until he saw a car a rather familiar looking old guy who now stood beside the guard. Edward knew he'd seen him somewhere before and racked his brain trying to figure out where from. Just as the name popped into his head, the pop of a bullet piercing the windscreen and hitting the headrest beside his ear, made him duck. "FUCK!" He yelled out. Without any hesitation, Edward glanced to the left before swerving out onto the road then swung the car away from the direction of the shooter. As he wrestled the car in the direction he needed, all Edward could feel was the burning pain of a gunshot in the top of his shoulder muscle… right beside his neck. He was going to enjoy returning the favour to old man Swan.

He took off like a bat out of hell, looking back in the car's mirrors and recognised Stefan Lazar running flat out behind him… and where one Lazar was, the other wouldn't be too far away; Stefan and his identical twin, Vladimir were deadly assassins. Edward grabbed his phone from the centre console and pressed speed-dial, when it connected he didn't waste time. "Garrett, I'm coming in hot… be there in 2, Lazar's on my tail."

"Got it."

He threw the phone to the floor of the car and hooked it around the next left. Another shot silently sliced through the car, smashing through the back window, narrowly missing his head…then another through the roof. At least he now knew the other Lazar was on a roof top.

After throwing the car around the final right hand corner, Edward could see the warehouse up ahead. As he got closer he could see a head pop out of the open roller door. A second later, Garrett walked out and starting to shoot at something behind Edward. Using the cover fire to his advantage, Edward slowed down just enough to ensure he didn't kill himself as he swung the car through the open doorway.

The metal door was down before the car slid to a stop and then Edward was striding over to where his capo stood, handing out the AK's and Uzi's… "Get into position!" he yelled out to the men around him. He knew the Lazars weren't about to turn around and go home. "Be ready for the Lazar twins."

"Did it hit anything important, boss?" Garrett asked nodding to Edward's shoulder, as he handed over two Uzi's.

"I'm still upright, so obviously not." Edward dialled up his brother as he tucked one of his two custom Barretta Desert Eagles into the back of his pants.

"How far away are you?" Emmett asked.

"I'll be a while… the Lazars found me. I'm with Garrett but may need backup." As Emmett let out a string of profanity, Edward yelled out over the top of him. "If you don't hear from me in five, send Liam and Alec. _You stay with Bella._ " What Edward didn't say was that if he didn't make it out of this, his brother needed to live to take over and get their sister out of the clutches of old man Swan. But Emmett wasn't stupid, he heard what wasn't said.

Edward didn't even have time to end the call before the first shots rang out. Automatic gunfire rang out through the huge warehouse and men ran for cover. Edward knew the Lazars would split up and come from two different directions, so he pointed to five of his men and pointed up to the roof; one of the twins would definitely be up there. "Take three men and take the rear." Edward yelled out to his capo and then he and the men left fanned out around the front of the building. The sound of smashing windows above was heard amongst the gunfire signalling possible entry, if so, Edward was now five men down.

"Ben…" Edward called out to the man beside him. He hand signalled for the sharpshooter to keep eyes on the roof before moving over to one of the windows at the front of the building. As he took quick glances out the window, Edward listened to all the bullets being exchanged from different areas around him; more than two… So there were obviously more than just the Lazars out there. He grabbed his phone and dialled Emmett back.

"What's happening?"

"Send as many as you can, brother, there's more than two here…"

"Fuck… They're already on their way, they should be almost there. I'm coming in."

"NO! You stay there, keep her safe and get Alice back, you hear me brother…?"

"Yeah… I hear you. Oh, heads up… dad's on his way, I couldn't keep him here."

"Okay…" Edward dropped at the sound and feel of a bullet whizzing past his head. He glanced up and saw one of the twins in the rafters… "You fucking prick!" He shouted at the smiling assassin. He obviously wanted Edward to know who was taking him out instead of getting a bullet without knowing it was coming.

Dropping the phone, he pulled out the second Barretta out from behind his back and started shooting both weapons up to the roof as he ran for cover; he took great satisfaction in watching the shocked look on the man's face before he fell. If he wasn't dead already, he would be once he hit the concrete floor below. Running low around the perimeter of the warehouse, Edward met back up with Garrett.

"You must have an expensive head, boss," Garrett said smirking. "…took three gangbangers out 'round back."

"I got one of the twins." Before he could say anything more, everything went quiet… "Call Liam, see what's happening outside."

It only took a second to get the info they needed. "He got the other Lazar. Looks like they called in the Huilen gang as extra fire power, he and Alec took out most of them out but some turned tail and ran. Stay here while I make sure it's all clear. We don't need you with more holes than you already have."

Five minutes later, Edward was driving Liam's car back to the 'Hole' where he'd been keeping Bella; Garrett and Alec were following. "Hook this into your Bluetooth and dial up 'Old Man'." He said to Liam as he handed his cell over. Once it was done and a dial tone was heard coming through the radio of the car, Edward couldn't help but smirk… he couldn't wait to hear Swan's reaction.

"Is it done?" He obviously thought it was the Lazars calling.

"Yeah… your hitmen are dead Old man and so are you."

When Charles Swan heard the voice of his nemesis on the phone instead of one of the Lazar's, he went ballistic and as much as Edward relished in his opponent's displeasure, the rage inside was about to burst.

"I told you not long ago that you were fucking with the _wrong_ guy Swan and now you've _really_ pissed me off."

"You fucking cut her _foot_ off! You _motherfucking_ _prick_! I'm going to skin you alive myself…" Edward was pleased to see that they didn't realise it wasn't Bella's foot.

"Yeah, yeah…" Edward said interrupting. "She still has plenty of parts left and if you don't want to see more, then you sit your fucking ass down and pay attention. One more Swan… _one_ more fuck up and you'll have to feed your daughter for the rest of her life because she won't have any arms to do it herself… And as God as my witness, if one hair is harmed on my sisters head, I'll hunt down every blood relative you have no matter how remote and make them pay while you watch… and I can make someone pay for days on end. Then I'll take every _possession_ you have and make it my own…"

Edward didn't elaborate of exactly what those possessions were, he was saving that for another time but he was sure the old man knew what or _who_ he was including…

"You better call off the hunt old man, I'd hate for your daughter to get caught in the crossfire. Don't be stupid when there are only a few hours to go."

"Fuck you!" Charles growled down the line before hanging up. At this point in time, it wasn't so much the love he had for his daughter or the need to have her back that made him stand down but more the need to be seen getting her back alive that counted right now. He'd overheard some of the unrest in his men. James had wanted to take them out for their insubordination but Charles knew that if they started doing that, then dissention would run rife. The one thing he couldn't afford right now is a trusted insider working against them; all it was right now were murmurs about his inability to get his own daughter back.

He'd deal with them once Bella was shipped off to her husband. Aro… the meeting had gone well and it was agreed that Bella would be married as soon as they got back to the house after the exchange and would leave for Italy the following morning after consummation had been confirmed. When Aro had called to tell him about the delivery at the gate, Charles was worried he'd pull out but he didn't, he just wanted more out of the deal in compensation. As he started to plan the night ahead, the door to his study opened and his eldest son walked in.

"Get Jasper up here, he needs to know his place before we leave here tonight."

"Gladly… Am I finally going to get a taste of the Cullioni as well?"

"No." James smirked before turning to leave.

Charles picked up his phone and started calling in all the guns he could get, he just hoped that word hadn't reached their ears about the Lazars yet…

* * *

A/N: Well… how was that? Again, I didn't want to touch too much on the crime side of this story but you can't have a Mafiaward without a gunfight or two!

I had only planned on adding two new chapters into the original story I'd written, but it's not looking like it now… so it'll probably be an extra 5 or 6! Carlisle wants to meet you all, so he's up next! What do you think he's going to be like… naughty or nice?

Anyway… let me know what you all think…


	16. Chapter 16

Just to let you know, some of the words in her are 'street talk' I suppose you could say, and not misspelt words on my part… lol! Oh, and the  
usual differences of my Aussie spelling of course!

* * *

Chapter 16

Bella walked around the lower floor for a few minutes, unsure what to do now she was by herself and after standing in the middle of the very sparse lounge room for a few awkward moments, she decided to go get a drink from the kitchen.

As she stood with her back to the sink and taking sips of her glass of water, she heard a rattling at the front door. _Shit…_ Her first instinct was to hide but then remembered that Edward's brother was on his way. _But what if it's not him…_ She thought to herself. As she heard the door open, she made the decision to hide in the walk in pantry.

Emmett walked into the house and quickly scanned his eyes around. "I wonder if she's still here?" he said quietly.

"I'm sure she is." Carlisle replied.

"Come out; come out wherever you are…" Emmett sung out. He smiled when he heard his father's frustrated sigh of disapproval.

"If she wasn't hiding before, she most definitely is now you idiot. If you want to attract bees, you have to do it with honey."

"Oh really Pops… well, on you go, show me how it's done." He said with a sweep of his arm. "You're way past your prime, Casanova, and just so you know, I'm telling Mom…"

"Watch and learn boy." Carlisle said as he passed his youngest yet biggest son. "And I'm not scared of your mother."

Emmett couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped. "You so the fuck are, old man. I'm betting you go to bed with no dessert tonight… and I aint talkin 'bout ice cream and jello."

"Fuck you…" Carlisle grumbled. He walked down the short hall that lead to the rear of the house and glanced quickly into the kitchen, the half glass of water on the counter and the slightly ajar pantry door told him exactly where she was but he walked away anyway, stopping a few steps back into the hall. "Miss Swan, are you still here? My name is Carlisle Cullioni and I'm Edward's father, I'm here with my other son, Emmett."

"How do I know you're who you say you are?" He heard said softly. She was actually being quite smart in not yelling or even talking at a normal volume as it really didn't give a clear indication of where she was.

"Well, you don't I suppose but the fact that I know you're in the pantry and I'm still waiting out here in the hall instead of in there trying to kill you, is probably a step in the right direction… wouldn't you say?"

While Carlisle was talking, Bella had snuck out of the pantry and moved silently through the door that led down to the basement where she'd been held before. She had been looking through the small crack in the door when Carlisle came into the kitchen and realised that he'd picked up on where she was.

"Maybe… Why are you here?" she asked. When she didn't hear a reply, she pressed an ear against the door and listened and sure enough, she heard footsteps getting closer. It wouldn't be long until they realised where she'd gone, so she sat on the rail of the staircase and slid her way down; she didn't know if any of the steps creaked or not, and then hid underneath.

Carlisle couldn't help the 'watch & learn' smirk on his face as he walked over to the pantry with his son but when he opened the door and was met with an empty room, the smirk fell away.

"Oh yeah… you're real smooth, old man." Emmett said snickering to himself. "Sure that's real honey you're using cause I don't see no bees in there…"

Carlisle turned to glare at his son, who was having a lot of fun teasing his father and saw the door to the basement, so with a quick nod towards it, he walked over and opened the door. "Bella, honey… you know it us. I'm pretty sure Edward told you what we were bringing with us; food and some clothes for you. Emmett's wife Rose sent them, size two yeah?"

"And I bought you some really yummy _honey_ buns…" Emmett yelled out over his father's shoulder.

Carlisle glared at his son again before looking back down into the basement. "Bella, you know we're not here to hurt you. I'm gonna make some coffee and the food is here if you're hungry, so come on up alright."

The two men turned around, leaving the door open and then went to sit at the small table in the dining room. It looked like it had seen better days but the house was normally only used for holding purposes, so sturdy furniture wasn't needed.

Bella felt like a spineless idiot crouching down under the staircase. This was _so_ not her. The last time she'd cowered under a staircase was when she was about ten years old, so with that thought, she crawled out, stood up straight before walking confidently up the stairs. "Oh… um, hello." She said with fake surprise. "I'm gathering you're Emmett and you're… Edward's father? I was out the back."

"Sure you were…" Emmett said with a smirk. She couldn't help but take in the features of both men. Emmett looked to be of similar height to his brother but with dark brown hair and a lot more muscle, she gathered he must have taken after his mother in looks though. His father, Carlisle on the other hand was an older version of Edward but with grey/blonde hair.

Bella watched as both men looked her up and down and was surprised when both men took their time at it. "Did ya's get a good enough look? Cause I could come a little closer if you've forgotten your glasses."

"Not necessary but you could turn around so I can see the view from behind." Carlisle said dryly. His words shocked Bella but she kept her game face on.

"Listen, I know banging a younger woman is a pretty normal fantasy of men your age as well as a badge of honour and a way to show others you've still got it, but doing it with an old man really isn't my thing… sorry." For a second, Bella worried that the stone cold silence was all she'd hear before a bullet found its way into her skull but it wasn't… She nearly jumped out of her skin when Emmett howled out with laughter to the point where he fell backwards out of his chair and onto the floor. Her eyes darted over to Edward's father and she was pleased to see that he wasn't the least bit angry at her words; in fact, his body was shaking with repressed laughter.

"You'll fit in real well, Miss Swan. Have a seat my dear." Carlisle said motioning to the chair nearest to where she stood. "Want a coffee?"

"Only if you're making it; I'm no maid either." Bella said as she looked down to the huge man on the floor. She couldn't help but snicker at his bright red face that had tears running down into his hair. "Breathe Emmett; it'd be a disgrace if your headstone read, 'Here lies scary mafia-man, died crying on the floor.'.

As the laughter continued around her, Bella couldn't help but join in but she stopped when it hit her that after knowing these men for all of five minutes, she was doing something she'd never done with her own family… she was having fun and feeling safe while doing it. As much as she didn't want it to, that realisation hurt… Carlisle noticed the change that came over her but decided not to ask what it was about, the sad look that passed quickly through her eyes showed him it was something best left for another day.

Half an hour after the three had finished their coffees and buns while having the weirdest conversation Bella had ever had, Emmett's phone rang out. When he read the name on the phone, he quickly shifted into business mode.

"How far away are you?" Emmett asked. When Edward told him about the Lazar twins finding him, his first reaction was to go in and back his brother up but Edward's ' _You stay with Bella',_ said more than the four actual words. "Don't you fucking…" Emmett's warning was cut off by the sounds on the other end of the line; automatic gunfire as well as semi-auto. The sounds of bullets hitting unidentified objects were mixed with the sizzling sounds of silenced ones… Yelling, running and grunts of pain had Emmett on his feet and ready to go but hearing Edward yelling out orders to the men stopped him from ignoring his brother's order. The strength in his voice told him he wasn't injured or at least not too badly if he was…

"What's going on?" Carlisle ordered, he could hear the familiar sounds of a gun battle through the cell but had no idea what was actually going on.

"The Lazar's…" Emmett said as he hung up and started to dial Liam. "He got to Garrett's warehouse but there sounds like too much action for just the twins. I know for a fact that Garrett's got at least a dozen men there for the shipment due in." When Liam, one of the family's capo's answered, Emmett didn't wait for pleasantries. "Boss is pinned down at Garrett's, get Alec down there too. Apparently the Lazar's are on the hunt but I'd expect them to have help."

"Garrett already called; we're on our way already so we're only two minutes out." Liam yelled out against the sound of the car's engine revving to the max. Ending the call, Emmett turned to his father, he couldn't help notice the worried look on Bella's face and it stopped him for a second; it was something he hadn't expected. "They were already headed there and are only minutes out."

"Is he hurt?" Bella asked.

"Not that know; he sounded fine but we'll know more soon."

"I'm going…" Carlisle said as he armed himself up.

"He said to stay here…" His father's look shut him up instantly. Since giving up the reins of the family to Edward, Carlisle had seemed to mellow out a little. He smiled more, laughed more and didn't rile up like he used to but the one thing that hadn't changed was the patriarch's ability to flick that switch and revert to the bloodthirsty monster he was more than capable of being. "I'll let him know."

Emmett watched his father run out of the house. As he turned to face Bella again, his phone rang out.

"What's happening?"

" _Send as many as you can, brother, there's more than two here…"_

"Fuck… They're already on their way, they should be almost there. I'm coming in."

" _NO! You stay there, keep her safe and get Alice back, you hear me brother…?"_ Emmett closed his eyes before jamming his fingers in them to rub the frustration away. He knew he needed to stay but he needed to back up his brother too.

"Yeah… I hear you. Oh, heads up… dad's on his way, I couldn't keep him here."

"Okay…" The sound of wood splintering close to the phone alerted Emmett to how close it had come to his brother. He was about to ask if he was still there when Edward yelled out. "You fucking prick!"

Emmett left the line open after hearing the phone being dropped, he had to be there in some way and this was as good as it was going to get. He knew the distinctive sounds of his brother's Beretta's going off and tried to follow what was going down but Bella pulled his attention away.

"What the fuck is going on, Emmett?"

"Your father… that's what's going on. He's put a price on my brother's head and at the moment, he's trying to stop two highly trained assassins from blowing it off his shoulders."

Bella shivered and felt the blood drain from her face. "The Lazar twins, Stefan and Vladimir? You mentioned them before."

"You know them?"

"I've seen them around the house before but no, I don't _know_ them. The first they laid eyes on me gave me the chills. I asked Jasper who they were but my brother James answered me instead. He told me what they were and what they did to females. He told me once that after our father died, he was going to offer me up as a bride to them."

Nothing was said for ages as Emmett just stared at the small woman in front of him. He didn't know much but from that short statement, he could imagine what it was like for her to grow up in the house she did. "Your family is truly fucked up."

She let out a snort in despondency, never had a truer sentence been spoken. "You have no idea. But at least I had Jasper; he was my only source of sanity growing up. I can't tell you how many times he kept me safe from James and my father but he couldn't be there all the time. But I'm a quick learner; it only took a few times of being in James' cross-hairs to grow eyes in the back of my head."

"I'm sorry you were dealt that hand in life, Edward and I both treasure our sister… as you can see, we'd kill for her."

"From what I know about my brother, Jasper, so will he."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the break in posting guys, I've been busy at work and busy organising my son's combined 18th birthday party with his best friend… Lots of people, lots of food and fancy dress… Glad it's over really! But a great night was had even if I didn't get to bed until 4am!

Posting will get back on track now… Sorry again. As usual, let me know what you think.


	17. Chapter 17

Well, here's the next chapter… Hope you all like it!  
Sorry for any errors... remember, there's a bit of slang in here. :-)

* * *

Chapter 17

Carlisle wasn't too far out when he met up with his son and the family's capo's, then after checking that he wasn't too seriously hurt and getting a quick rundown of what happened, Edward turned to his men to tell them to follow him and his father back to the 'hole'.

"So what's going on with Bella?" Carlisle asked once he started to drive.

"She's with me."

"Yes, I picked up on that but is it a 'fuck you' to Swan or is it something real?"

"Oh, it's real but I can also say that I will definitely enjoy looking into that dick's eyes and watching his reaction when I tell him I've been balls deep in his little girl. I'm not giving her back and that's not because of who she is, it's just…" Edward took a deep breath and looked out of his window as the signs of the city changed from tall buildings to tall trees. "I didn't think I'd ever have what you have with mom. I thought that I'd either end up with an arrangement or just pass things down to Emmett at some stage… you know."

"Yeah… so I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you that I was actually looking at finding you someone." Edward looked at his father like he'd just been told that he was changing his career choice to 'priest'. "Don't look at me like that. Your mother came to me a little while ago; she wanted more for you than what you have. Made me promise to do something about it seeing as you didn't seem to even be looking for a woman… and the fact that you're not getting any younger…" Seeing Edward was about to butt in, he forged on… "…neither am I for that matter. Some of the other Dons have been getting a little… gossipy about the fact that you're not married so I was about to start looking for you."

"I'll have you know that I've been able to find my own women since I was fifteen years old, fuck you very much. I don't need your help."

"Oh, I know exactly how old you were, but I'm glad to know that I don't have to play matchmaker anymore… though your mother is going to be a little upset I think." Carlisle didn't even realise a self-satisfied smirk had found its way to his face as he thought about his wife's reaction when he told her about Bella.

"What's with the smirk Old man? What have you allowed my mother to do?"

" _Allowed_ …?" Carlisle snuffed with a laugh, "I know it's been a while since you've lived with her, but you know damned well there is no _'allow'_ in my marriage to your mother. She does exactly what she wants, when she wants to do it and I say 'yes dear'. Remember that… ' _Yes dear'._ That should be written into marriage vows you know… _'Do you promise to love, cherish and say 'yes dear' till death do you part?'"_

The two men glanced at each other and started laughing. Once their laughter died down, Carlisle looked at his eldest son and said with a smirk…"Last week I heard her on the phone to Giana, and they were talking about setting up a date between you and Tia. The words 'sisters' and 'family' and 'wedding' may have been mentioned here and there too I think."

Edward groaned out loud to sound of his father's laughter. The thought of being married to the thirty year old spinster daughter of Demetri & Giana Valetta was not something he cared to think about.

The rest of the trip to the house was in silence. During that time he thought about what had happened since leaving the house that morning and reliving the gun fight had his adrenalin pumping throughout Edward's system once more; he found himself looking forward to seeing Bella again… privately.

As Edward and Carlisle walked up to the house with their men behind them, they could all hear Bella yelling at Emmett to get out of her way. Her threats of how she was going to hurt him if he didn't move were quite inventive and made the men laugh.

"She's a bit of a spitfire." Liam said beside him.

"You have no idea." Edward said.

"So, I'm gathering by that…" Liam said motioning towards the house, "… that things between yous are… on?"

Edward stopped and looked over his shoulder at Garrett and Alec, all three of his capo's had the same amused look on their faces.

"Most definitely, so watch how you speak to her, she's not considered a Swan anymore. But word of the wise, she has no problem sayin' exactly what's on her mind if you piss her off and if she doesn't say it with words… her eyes'll let ya know _exactly_ what she's thinkin'."

The three men all smirked at each other, thinking it was going to be a treat to finally see their boss being ordered around by a woman; it had been a long time coming! Just as they got to the rear door of the house, it opened and a worked up Bella stood there panting.

"Hey Princess." Edward said in greeting, her flushed face and clenched fists were doing good things to his body. Bella said nothing as her eyes zeroed in on Edward's wounded shoulder. Her eyes flickered over to the four other men before looking back to her smiling lover.

"Well, you're still standing so I gather you're not about to die. Anymore holes I should know about?"

"Nope, just the one, wanna patch me up, Princess?" he asked as he walked right up to her. As normal after being in a gunfight, Edward was fired up but seeing her worried eyes had him even more so; he didn't stop the urge that lit his blood on fire. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the ground as he planted his lips hard against her own. Neither Edward nor Bella heard the men laughing at their expense as they walked into the house.

"Put the girl down, Edward." Carlisle said after it became clear that neither were about to stop. "You can sex her up all you want later on."

Edward pulled away to tell his father where to go but feeling Bella's hot face fall against his neck while she started to laugh sort of broke the mood. "Cockblocker…" he grumbled instead.

"Oh really, my bad, by all means, son… continue!" Carlisle said smirking. Edward was about to speak up when Bella beat him to it.

"Piss off you old perv." Suddenly the house went quiet, inside and out. Carlisle's mouth dropped open.

Edward couldn't believe what he'd just heard and scrambled to defuse the situation before his father popped a bullet into her skull. "Dad, she didn't…"

"Excuse me, young lady?" Carlisle growled out.

Bella look back to where Edward's father stood and tried with every fibre of her being, not to smile. "You heard me, you old fart. Get your voyeuristic old ass out of here while I thoroughly make sure your son is none the worse for wear."

"You better watch that mouth of yours little girl…"

"Sorry to burst your fantasy bubble but I'm no-one's _little girl_ and I don't need a Big Daddy. I've already got myself a man." As Bella and Carlisle stared each other down, the silence around them was so great; one could hear a pin drop.

"Bella…" Edward whispered urgently. He couldn't believe that seconds ago, all he could think of was getting balls deep into his new obsession, now he all he could think about was how to keep that obsession alive. "Shut the fuck up will ya."

The urgency in Edward's voice seemed to be all that was needed to break Bella's resolve. Peals of laughter rang out to the point where she could no longer hang onto Edward's neck and she fell backwards… straight into the laughing arms of the Cullioni patriarch. "I'll give you your money when I find my wallet…" Carlisle said laughing before looking up into his son's panicked yet confused eyes. "Gotcha…"

"What the… you… I… you fucking asshole…" Edward's word vomit just made Bella laugh even more and that's when he saw his brother laughing just as hard. Letting Bella's feet hit the ground, he reached out and took her face into his hands. "Ohhhh, you wicked little… You're going to pay my little wench, you're gonna pay _so_ much."

"He made me…" she laughed out while pointing inside to Emmett.

" _Made_ is a strong word Bella," Emmett smirked as he sprawled his big body on one of the flimsy dining chairs. "… more like _dared_ I would say."

Edward walked over to the rickety kitchen table shaking his head while he tried to calm his heart rate down. "You'll all pay… When you least expect it brother, when you least expect it…"

"Alright, fun's over people, let's get to planning." Carlisle called out.

=x=

As the men started finalising the plans for the night, Bella got to work cleaning the bullet wound in the juncture between Edward's shoulder and neck. He liked how close she was so he wrapped his arm around the back of her thighs and gently stroked the skin above her jeans as he listened. The feeling of her under his fingers and the gentle pressure of her care was making him wish they were alone.

Even though she still had a way to go in her study's, Bella knew how close the bullet had come to taking Edward's life, less than an inch to the left and he would have bled out in a matter of minutes and that thought made her hands falter in their ministrations. That second or two or hesitation had Edward's eyes dart to hers and the look he gave her was a knowing one; it was as if he knew what she'd been thinking about.

Without a word, he turned back and listened as the plan came together. Bella soon became fascinated in what was going on around her, how they were going to get Alice away from her father and brother while getting Jasper and keeping her with them. She'd never been allowed to hear anything like this before and the whole time she'd expected to be sent away or hurt for being someplace she shouldn't have been. But the biggest shock to her was when Edward said, 'So what do you think Bella?" She was so shocked she couldn't answer straight away. After that, the other men her asked for her opinion on different things too; it took a couple of time for her to realise that they were actually listening to what she said.

When she piped up and said that one of their tactical moves wouldn't work and the reason behind it, she worried that she'd overstepped her bounds but one look into Edward's smiling eyes told her everything she needed to know. Things were different here.

As the house emptied of men, Bella couldn't help but think about how much her life had changed in the last few weeks. She no longer lived under a grey cloud of doom like she did when living in her family home. She no longer lived each day thinking and planning of how she was going to disappear and not get killed, she longer looked to the future with dread. She was no longer a virgin and that most definitely made her smile.

Once alone, Edward turned to Bella. "Are you sure you want to take this path Bella? Once everyone is on the move, things are going to happen quickly and as much as I don't want to see you hurt by this. You and I both know that for everything to work out tonight, certain _things_ are going to happen. Plans can be… unmade if you want to change your mind and go back to your father." Bella slowly shook her head 'no'. "I won't take prisoners Bella, I won't show your father leniency; I'll put a bullet in his skull without a care in the world."

Bella's eyes shut at not only the harshness of Edward's words but the images they put into her head. Her heart hurt…

"I know…" Bella said in a whisper as she fiddled with the hem of Edwards's shirt. "I don't know how to put this correctly but… I suppose I love my father on some level. I don't know if it's just because he's my father and I still remember what he was like before my mother died or if it's just some misplaced loyalty. But then if I look away from those feelings, I can honestly say that I _hate_ my father too… for what he's become, for turning his back on me when I needed him, for turning a blind eye to James' cruelty towards me all my life. I know he'll never change, that the man I loved with all my heart died many years ago. I know I can't have the family I crave with him and my brothers…

Bella looked up and stared into Edward's eyes. "I'll mourn my father, I know I will… but if I want any sort of life then I understand, up here…" she pointed to her temple, "…he won't be around to see it, he can't be. As for James, well give me a gun and I'll shoot the bastard myself."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay, I've hurt my back again and between Dr's visits, I'm popping pain pills and sleeping…

I hope you all like Carlisle. And in case you're wondering, the little 'thing' between Bella, Carlisle and Emmett once they all got back to the house was all worked out before the gunfight happened. Bella knew that she needed to put Emmett's misgivings about her to rest, so she let them see the real her and in doing so, found a 'comradery' with them that she never expected.

The 'hand-over' is up next! What do you think happens? Let me know what you think.


	18. Chapter 18

Hi Everyone. Well, here is the final part of what was originally written as a one-shot and it's the largest chapter so far.  
Not sure how many chapters will come after this but it won't be many, I don't think.  
Thanks for all of the reviews, I love hearing what you all think. And don't forget there's Aussie spelling in here... ;-)

* * *

Chapter 18

"So I'll stay back there until Emmett calls me out." Bella recited, she'd been told the plan a number of times but she was still nervous.

"That's right." Edward said with a nod. "I'll be insisting that he sends Jasper over with Alice first so he should be there when you come out. Follow the plan and it'll all work out." She only hoped that it would, but she knew her father and older brother well.

At just after 8pm, Edward's cell rang out; Charles Swan on the other end. "We're driving out the gate now."

"Head south until you get to Holt Road. Don't hang up." Edward glanced at the phone on the table where he sat beside his brother; silent texts came in showing the Swan car's progress. As they approached Holt Road, a text came in to say a second car was following. Emmett gave the command to have it taken out.

"We're nearly there." Charlie said. "Let me speak to my daughter."

Edward ignored old man Swan's directive. "Turn left at the intersection and keep going until 24th street."

"Where's Bella?"

"She's safe and will stay that way as long as you don't do anything stupid."

 **Garrett: 2** **nd** **car out.**

Edward was sure Swan would have all his men out, so Edward had one of his capos stationed outside the Swan mansion since five that morning. He sent a text to Liam to get an update. An answer came almost immediately.

 **Liam: Newton & crew flying high. Alec took cleaning up Laurent & co as we speak. **

As Edward was about to reply, another text came in.

 **Riley: Jacob MIA, Ben & Tyler out but we lost Paul & Brady.**

 _Fuck…_

"Where to next?" Charlie asked.

"Turn right and then second left, keep going until you hit Jefferson." Edward didn't like the fact that Jacob Black was unaccounted for. He was James' right hand and had been a thorn in Edward's side for a few years now. He looked over to Bella and whispered in her ear… "Do you know how to contact Black?" Bella nodded slowly, wondering why he was asking. What he didn't need to know as far as she was concerned, was the fact that Black was the only source of the little sexual experience Bella had had before being with Edward…

He handed her an old cellular phone and looked into her eyes. "Text him as if you've got hold of a phone without anyone knowing. Ask him where he is." He whispered. Bella took a deep breath and looked down at the cell phone in her hand. She hated what she was about to do but her life and freedom was at stake.

 **Jacob where r u, got a ph, help. Bells.**

 **Where r u B**

 **Warehouse, dont no where but near water. Where U?**

 **behin ur dad on the hawk. Comin for U.**

Bella knew that her biggest dream in life was on the cusp of coming true… to escape the clutches of her father and brother. She only wished that people she actually liked didn't have to get hurt in the process. But that was her world, wasn't it… live by the sword, die by the sword. Bella tilted the cell to Edward so he could see Jacob's reply.

"He's riding a Black Op's Silent Hawk bike, you won't hear it." The Swan house had been buzzing months ago when James came home with an 'acquired' motorbike called the Silent Hawk; even Jasper couldn't contain his excitement. Very few of the bikes had been made and all were owned by the military… until now. How he got the bike, she didn't know but James had snuck up on her once and knocked her down with it as he went flying past.

Jacob Black was the best bike rider in the family and only two years older than she was. His father William, or Billy as he was known, had been Charles' best friend since they were teenagers so when Billy died, Charles took Jacob into the family. As a full 'dyed in the wool' company man, Jacob would do everything he had to do to get her back, even if he was the only one left alive to do so. They'd shared a lot over the years so she knew him well but she also knew that she could _never_ go back, too much had changed… she'd found where she wanted to be.

Edward had watched the emotions cross her face as she got the information he needed of Jacob's whereabouts. He saw the struggle within, these people were her family and friends and he wished that things could have worked out differently, wished that this night could have played out without her being involved but it wasn't to be. He resolved to talk about everything later but that would have to wait, he had too much going on right now. He put a hand against her cheek and gently kissed her lips in thanks, before relaying the information to Liam. Charles was only five minutes away and not knowing where Jacob was had Edward on edge.

"We can see you Swan, keep going." Edward said before standing up. With one last look at Bella's sad face, he and Emmett moved outside to wait.

After a good half hour goose chase around the city, Edward stood stock still as the black car stopped a short distance away.

"Where's my daughter?" Charles said as he got out from the passenger side of the car. His son James got out from behind the wheel and Edward couldn't see anything in him that reminded him of Bella.

"My sister first, Swan." Edward demanded.

"Show me…"

"No, you don't get to dictate here. My sister… now!" Charles turned to his son and nodded his head and with a grimace of annoyance, James hit the roof twice and the rear door opened. Bella's twin brother, Jasper, negative to her in every way, unfolded his lanky body from the car before pulling Alice out behind him; his heart jumped at seeing her after more than a month and he was happy to see that she looked unharmed. Edward only took a moment to relish in his feelings though before he took in the man beside her. Jasper Swan was tall, blonde and blue eyed but the same soft strength that often shone in his sister's face was easily recognisable to Edward… even under the discoloration of newly formed cuts and bruises.

A quick glance at the hand resting on the roof of the car told Edward who'd put them there. Being suspicious by nature, Edward was still unsure about Jasper but willing to give him the benefit of doubt.

Edward nodded for Emmett to call Bella out before turning back to the Swan men in front of him. "Walk her over Jasper." Just then, Bella took her position beside Edward. When he looked down at her, he was pleased to see that she had her game face on but being so close, he could see the emotion in her eyes as they locked onto her twin.

"What?" James called out. "No… they can walk over themselves."

"No, they can't… You'll get your daughter, Swan when I see that my sister is okay… not before." Swan took a deep breath and motioned his youngest son forward. He couldn't understand where all of his men where, they should have been in place by now. He looked over to his son and saw him looking around. Charles was starting to feel like a rat in a fucking large trap.

As the two sets of siblings came closer to one another, the brothers did an identical sweep of their sisters. Jasper's eyes targeted onto the rag that was on her hand and prayed that his trust in the man who had always been his enemy was not misplaced. Edward on the other hand could tell instantly that his sister was unharmed.

Alice looked down at the ground before looking back up to her brother, an action they'd often used growing up to communicate around others without them knowing. He almost smiled at her. "How are you sister?" he asked her.

"Peachy-keen big bro, a little thirsty." she replied.

 _Thirsty…_ It was Alice's code word for wanting revenge. She'd often used it at school when she wanted her brothers to teach someone a lesson.

"Your wish is my command." He said with a smirk. He watched as she walked into the building behind him and then leant towards Bella. "Run when I tell you, join Alice, she's waiting for you." He pressed a hard, unexpected kiss against her lips. "Now slap me."

Bella's surprised was real but she caught on quick. As much as she didn't think she would, she actually got a little pleasure out of slapping his beautiful face; she knew it'd be the only time she'd get to do it, so she made it good… _SLAP!_

Edward laughed as he pushed her towards her brother but it quickly died out when he heard James shouting out…

"NOW!"

Edward looked up to see two men jump out of the trunk of the Swan car at the same time Black and two others came running into the mix. "Get her inside!" Edward yelled at Jasper as he reached out to grab Bella's arm; the action just as instinctual as when he drew his custom Barretta and started shooting.

As Jasper pulled his sister inside the warehouse, Edward and Emmett took cover behind the stacks of cargo to their right. Edward's men that were stationed around in strategic places came out instantly to join in. Bullets rang out fast and furiously, the sound reverberating through their eardrums as they sliced their way through wood and steel of the building behind them.

"Fuck!" Emmett yelled out. Edward looked over to see blood falling from a 'too close' hit to his brother's ear. "I'm alright…"

As Edward glanced back around the crates, it was just in time to see Bella's father take a bullet, by the yelling and cursing, Edward was sure that the bullet hadn't hit anything vital. Seconds later, dirt he was quickly dragged behind the now bullet riddled car by someone other than James… because he was taking off to the right.

"James is on the run, take him out!" Edward told his brother, motioning to where James was running.

More shots rang out in the opposite direction to where Emmett had just gone and a quick glance showed Edward that bodies now lay still behind the car. Looking around and seeing no-one, Edward made his way over to Swan's Mercedes and he was pleased to see the old man was still alive… for now. "Told you not to fuck with me, old man."

Charlie looked up, holding his weapon up with his shaking left hand; his right was plugging a hole in his left shoulder. The look of pain and hate poured out of his whole being.

"No more of your men are coming, Swan and your pezzo di merda of a son has bolted. This could have all been avoided but you chose to…"

BANG!

" _FUCK!_ You fuckin' brain dead _motherfucker_!" Edward yelled as his body spun around and slammed against the side of the car, blood poured from his previously uninjured shoulder; a couple of inches to the left and he would be dead. Before Charlie could let off another shot, Edward kicked out and connected with the hand holding the gun.

"You cut my daughter you fucking prick!" Charlie yelled, "…I _never_ hurt your sister but you cut…"

"I did no such thing." Edward yelled back. He bent down to stare into the old man's eyes. "But I must confess that I did make your daughter bleed. It wasn't from cutting off any body parts though. Had my first virgin pussy last night old man… and she came all over my _rock_ … _hard_ … _cock_!"

" _AAARRRHHH_! You _MOTHERFUCKING prick_!" Edward laughed at Charlie Swan yelled out! "You'll pay, you fucking bastard."

"Not from you old man… Oh, and as a parting gift," Edward said as he lifted his Barretta and aimed it at Charles' head. "…you'll be happy to know that I intend to have that pussy every day for the rest of my life, so thanks old man."

In the end, Charlie Swan got an easier death than Edward thought he deserved.

=X=

After following Jasper to the room Edward had told him to take the girls, Bella looked up at her brother as the muffled sounds of the shooting continued around them. Tucked under his opposite arm and wrapped around his body was Edward's little sister, Alice and definitely didn't look anything like what Bella had expected. She was tiny compared to her tall and well-built brothers. She was almost delicate looking and that was _not_ a word to describe Emmett or Edward.

But even with all the gunfire and anxiety, she couldn't help but smile at the way Jasper was looking at the small woman, it was a look that she'd never seen on his face before… love. When the door opened suddenly, Jasper quickly raised his gun and pushed Alice behind him.

There stood James…

"Hurry the fuck up Jasper, we need to go… and leave that bitch here where she belongs. Get up Bella." He looked back down the hallway he'd just run down, making sure he hadn't been followed but when he looked back he was met with the still raised gun and hate filled eyes. "What the fuck you think you doin'? Put the gun down, Jasper."

"I don't take orders from you anymore, Bro."

A sinister smile pulled as James' mouth. "You think they're gonna keep you bro, treat you like one of their own? You're a fucking Swan, dickwad; they'll kill you and Bella without a second thought before leaving you both here to rot."

"At least I won't die a virgin then…" Bella said with a smirk.

"I can believe you could be swayed," he said to Bella but then looked back to Jasper, "… but not you. You're a disgrace to the Swan…"

James didn't get to finish his sentence as a bullet found its way from Jasper's gun to the middle of his forehead. Both girls jumped and yelled out in surprise, their expectation for violence had lowered as the conversation between the brothers took place. Jasper watched with indifference as his brother fell in a lifeless heap to the ground. As he planned this night with Edward, he knew that there would be the possibility that he would end up killing either his brother or his father and he hadn't been sure how he was going to feel in the taking, but once it had happened, all he felt was relief. He'd only had moments to let Alice in on even a little bit of what was going down before they left the mansion and even she hadn't been sure he'd be able to do it. When Jasper felt her gently squeeze his arm, he lowered his weapon and looked down at her.

Bella was unsure how long she stood there staring at her lifelong tormentor's body laying mere feet from where she stood. She was also unsure it took for her to hear the sound of silence around her; the shooting had stopped. "Is it over, Jazz?" she asked shakily. He didn't get a chance to answer before a bleeding Emmett half ran, half stumbled into the room over James' body; Edward wasn't far behind.

As soon as Bella's eyes landed on him, she ran; her eyes only registering his injury a second before she got to him. "You're bleeding…"

He could help but smile as she ripped his shirt open to inspect his wound. "I'll live, beautiful girl but you can clean me up and kiss it all better later when we're finally alone if you'd like." He couldn't help but laugh when her face heated instantly…

"Piss off you shit!" she laughed as she gave him a shove. Her voice was still slightly shaky as the adrenalin slowly worked its way out of her body. The smile on her still blushing face warmed Edward's heart even though he could feel her hands trembling against his chest.

Edward tilted Bella's face up to his and lightly pecked her lips, "Be right back." He looked up to where his sister stood and smirked at her. "Left your drink outside, Sis… sorry."

Alice had been watching her older brother from the second he entered the room and the difference in him was astounding. "That's fine brother of mine… I'm suddenly not so thirsty."

He snorted out a quick laugh, "Is that right… I'll have you know I worked hard to make it just right and now you don't want it; I'm crushed." Alice's smile never left her lips as she walked up and wrapped her arms around her big brother. Once his were wrapped around her, she took what felt like the first real breath she'd taken in more than a month.

"I love you, Brother, more than I can say."

"As I love you, little Sis… always." Edward took a deep breath and looked over his sister's shoulder. What he saw; made him smile. A man overcome to have a beloved sibling back in his arms.

"He's a good man, Edward." Alice whispered. "A good man born into a bad family."

"Mmmm." He murmured in reply. He had a feeling that he was going to find that Jasper was more like his sibling than he first thought. The thought had him looking back over his shoulder.

"You alright, Em?" Edward asked his brother.

"All good, brother, it was just a scratch; but thanks for finally asking."

All Emmett got back was, "Good, where's dad?"

"He's out with Liam." Edward could see that he was about to say more and when he caught his brother's glance towards Bella, he knew it probably had something to do with Jacob. It was obvious that Emmett too had been witness to Bella's struggle to give up details over a friend that she knew would probably lead to his death. Edward was willing to wait for details at a better time.

"Alright, call in some hands to help get this place cleaned up."

"They're already on route."

Edward nodded before turning back to find that Bella and his sister had traded spots. "I'm just going out to talk to dad, stay here with Alice for a bit?"

"We'll be fine, brother. We'll chat and get to know each other a little bit, right Bella?"

"Yeah, sure." Bella's eyes drifted over to where her eldest brother layed. Edward grabbed her chin and lifted her face up to his.

"He'll never hurt you again, Princess. I won't be long and then I'll come get you before going home, okay."

"Okay." Edward leant down and pressed a soft kiss against her lips before he walked over to the door. Emmett and Jasper bent down and between them, they lifted James' body and dragged it out of the warehouse.

"It's been a shitty few weeks, huh?" Alice said blandly. Bella turned to look at Edward's sister and burst out in a laugh that had a slightly hysterical edge to it.

"Yeah… you could say that."

Alice walked up the woman her brother had finally chosen as 'the one' and held out her hand. "Well… Let's do this right. Hi Bella, I'm Alice. I have a feeling we're going to be best friends."

Bella thought that if she was anything like her father or brothers, that Alice would be more than a friend, she'd be a sister.

* * *

A/N: Thank you everyone for your reviews and get well wishes. I'm in for a few months PT on my back but I'll get there, slowly…

Now… for interest sake, the Silent Hawk is a motorbike currently in development but as yet not actually available. It's being designed for military use, but for the sake of the story, let's all believe that it _is_ available to those with the money to 'acquire' one…

And... Pezzo di merda - means Piece of shit... ;-)


	19. Chapter 19

Thank you everyone for all of your reviews. I'm so glad that  
you're all enjoying this so much.

* * *

Chapter 19

When Edward walked out of the room with his brother and Jasper, his first thoughts were of where Black was; he waited until he was far enough away from the room before asking though.

"Dad's got him out the back. He didn't know what you wanted to do with him." Emmett told him.

Edward looked over to Jasper with a raised brow. "What do you think we should do?"

Jasper stared at the men in front of him for a bit as he thought of the man in question. "I've known Jake as far back as I can remember and I can say with all honesty that he's a good man but he has a side to him that is… lethal. He's extremely loyal and," Jasper broke off and looked down to the ground uneasily.

"And what?" Emmett asked.

"And after tonight, he's proven to be a more loyal man than I have."

"I wouldn't say that." Edward said. "You showed your loyalty tonight. What you did, turning your back on the two people who were most definitely in the wrong to protect your sister and mine… well, that took guts _and_ unwavering loyalty. To those who deserve it."

"Doesn't feel like it." Jasper said quietly. As much as he hated his brother, he loved his father and to double cross him, weighed heavily on his heart.

"So what about Jacob, what do we do with him?"

Jasper took a deep breath as he thought and then looked up to the Cullioni brothers. "Can I talk to him, see if I can get a feel for the best course of action?"

"Five minutes, that's all I can give. We may be in a fairly desolate area but all of that…" Edward said motioning around him, "… would have been heard by someone I'm sure, so we have to move soon."

"No worries, it won't take me long."

As Edward watched Jasper walk towards the back of the warehouse, Emmett spoke up. "So, do we trust him?"

Without answering, Edward lifted his phone and text his father.

 **Jasper on his way to talk to Jacob privately. Keep ears on him.**

"I thought you knew me better than that, brother."

Emmett let out a snort of amusement before looked down at his feet. "So where do you want this one?" He said as he bumped the toe of his boot against James' arm.

"Who's coming in to clean up?"

"Sam and Seth, they'll spot clean before taking the rubbish with them."

Edward nodded his head before looking back to the room he left the women in. He thought about Bella and all the things she'd told him and knew that he really needed to speak to her. "Take him out to where Sam will arrive; he can be fish food for all I care, then stick close to Jasper. I need to talk to Bella."

When he got back to the room, he stood and watched his sister and Bella for a while as they talked quietly against the far wall. But when Alice turned to look at him, he was pretty sure she'd known exactly how long he'd been standing there. "I'll leave you two to talk." She said as she stood up.

"She's lovely." Alice whispered as she walked past her brother to the other side of the room. Edward smiled and winked at his troublemaker of a sister before walking over to sit in the spot she'd just vacated.

"I can see why my brother loves her." Bella said with a smile. "I doubt if there'd be anyone capable of resisting her charms."

"Mmmm, and she knows it too. She's had every male in our family twisted around her little finger since she opened her eyes five seconds after being born." When Edward suddenly became serious, Bella turned her body to face him. She knew something was going on.

"Lay it on me."

"I need to ask you some things." Bella nodded slowly. "I know you have no love lost where James was concerned, but what about your father?"

Bella closed her eye for a few seconds before looking up at the man who had changed her life so completely. "I'm gathering he's…"

"Dead… We swapped bullets, mine was more accurate." When Bella winced, Edward continued. "Sorry, I don't mean to sound so callous but your father and I have a long and not so nice history and now with everything I know about how he's treated you… well, I find it hard to feel anything but contempt where he's concerned. But, he's your father and I know that you don't feel the same as I do."

When he saw a tear fall down over her cheek, he pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her. "We've had a very rocky start here Bella and a lot of shit has happened between us in a very short time but if you want your father to have a proper burial, I'll make it happen."

Bella looked up and looked deep into eyes that seemed as sincere as eyes could ever get. She thought about her father and who he used to be and what he became. She loved him _because_ he was her father, not because he'd earned it but at the same time, she couldn't think of his body being 'disposed of' like she knew James' would be. "I'm not worried about him not having a funeral but…"

"Whatever you want, Bella just name it."

"Can we put him in Mom's crypt? They should be together."

"I can do that. Now, onto problem number two… Jacob Black."

Bella couldn't hide her surprise. "He's still alive?"

Edward nodded, "Jasper is talking to him as we speak, and I've told him to work something out. What do you think your brother will say?"

"Jacob's a good man but he can be mean SOB when he has to be though and while I've seen a few times that he wanted to disagree with things my brother did, he never said a word. He's been loyal to our family and in many ways he's like another brother… but not. I honestly don't know how he'll take tonight."

Just then Emmett walked in with Jasper and Carlisle. "Well Jasper?" Edward asked.

"He didn't know about _our_ plans so he had his own." His eyes went to Bella's as he wondered how she'd take what he was about to reveal. "Apparently our father had plans for Bella and they were plans that Jacob wasn't about to let happen."

"What plans, Jazz?" Bella asked.

"He was marrying you off tonight to Scali once he got you home and you were going with Aro when he left for Italy in the morning."

Bella's shock was clearly seen by all in the room. She covered her face with her hands in an effort to stop the scream of betrayal from leaving her mouth. When she felt that she could breathe, she looked up to Edward. "Forget about the crypt, burn the fucker."

Edward felt like smiling but knew now was not the time, all he did was give a single nod in compliance.

"Do you trust him?" Edward asked Jasper.

"Yeah, he showed me the fake passports he'd acquired and all the paperwork they'd need to start afresh in Canada."

Edward thought quickly… about his promise to never let her go once they'd been together… about the life she'd led up to this point and the life she'd lead if she was with him. And then he thought about the life she could have if she just disappeared with Jacob, a man who obviously loved her enough to cross a man who had been a second father to him. He was also more than capable of protecting her. He took a deep breath and looked up at his father and brother. "We'll be out shortly."

The men knew that Edward wanted privacy so they all turned and left the room.

"Bella…" Edward said as he lifted her face to his. "You have the chance you've always wanted; to disappear and live a life away from all of this. I know that with me, you would live a very different life than the one you had with your father and brothers but it would still be in the world that brought you so much heartache. Jacob is offering you a life without all of this shit. You can do and _be_ whatever you want. You can find a good man, get married and have the house with a white picket fence and 2.4 kids if that's your choice… I won't stop you if that's what you want."

The whole time Edward spoke, she watched his eyes intently. She listened to his words and they painted a picture of a future that she'd often dreamed about but when she tried to picture her actually walking away with Jacob, the images just wouldn't solidify.

"For so long I've had that 'dream life' tucked away in the back of my head. Every so often I'd bring it out and imagine what my kids would look like, what my husband would look like… but I couldn't think of it too long because I knew it would never happen and it would hurt too much to think of something I'd never have but now I _can_ have it."

Edward felt his chest restrict at her words but knew that letting her go was the right thing to do. He'd taken so much from her, he would take no more. "Yes, you can and you'll have a wonderful life."

"With you…" Bella said with determination. "I doubt your place has a white picket fence but that's okay, you can always build me one." She could see that Edward was about to say something, so she forged on. "Edward, the life you lead is the world I was born into and seeing you with your family, the connection you have with each other, I never knew that existed in our world… I know now that I wasn't trying to run from this life as much as the people I was surrounded by, if that makes sense. I know our world is not an easy one, it's full of violence and uncertainty but then I think that sort of life can follow anyone not just those born to Mafia families. I could disappear with Jake, find the picture you just layed out and still die in a violent way. Violence is everywhere Edward and running won't protect me from that. At least in _our_ world, I'll be more… aware, more protected…"

Edward smiled at her logic even if it made him the most selfish motherfucker in the world. He knew that he was not about to try and change her mind, he wanted her too much to let her go but he did have a few conditions, ones he'd get to later… after he got the hole in his shoulder plugged up. "Okay Princess, let's get out of here before we find ourselves living on the governments dime in high security."

=X=

For the first time in months, Edward drove up the driveway to the house he called home. Beside him in his beat up Camaro, Bella sat and took everything in. After learning about Charles' plan to marry his daughter off as soon as they got her home, Edward decided to let Jacob breathe a little longer. Liam and Alec were taking him to the hole where he'd kept Bella and they were going to see if Jasper was right about him being trustworthy.

Jasper, Alice and Emmett jumped into Carlisle's Mercedes and followed Edward back to the house. "Expect your mother to be a little… clingy for a while, Alice." Carlisle said with a smirk.

With a half-hearted moan, she looked up to the smiling eyes looking back at her in the rear-view mirror. "It's gonna be bad hey…"

"Like you wouldn't believe, but humour her for me please."

"Yeah, I know I can use the break." Emmett said, thinking of how overboard their mother had been since Alice was taken.

"And you really hated all the fussing your mother layed on you, didn't you Emmett… all that food, all the hugging, all the 'just saw it and thought of you' gifts."

"Trust me, after twenty-nine years, I've learnt to accept anything and everything my mother says and does with a smile."

With both cars safely in the compound's underground car-park, Carlisle shifted the gear lever of the Mercedes to 'P' and then unbuckled his seatbelt before getting out. He shut his door and watched as his daughter unfolded her body from the car. "Come here, my little elf." He said quietly as he held his arms out.

Alice smiled at her father's name for her; it had been so very long since she'd heard it. "Hi Daddy." For the first time in months, Alice took a deep breath and flooded her body with the scent that she'd grown to associate with safety.

"I've missed you my beautiful girl, so very much. I can't tell you how much I've missed your smile lighting up this house." Alice screwed up her eyes as they burned with tears. She'd held herself so strong for so long and to hear her father's love for her pour out in such heartfelt words was the tipping point for her emotional floodgates to open.

The instant everyone heard Alice start to cry in her father's arms, they turned to the entry door to give them some privacy. Just before going inside the huge house, Bella looked back at the father and daughter. The sight brought out so many emotions in her. It was beautiful to see but at the same time, it bought her so much heartache. It was something she'd never had and never would have.

When Bella turned away, she caught Edward looking down at her. "Things are very different here, Bella. You'll see."

* * *

Not a lot happened here but I hope that you are all happy with Edward giving Bella a choice of what she wanted to do from here on out.

Let me know what you all think…


	20. Chapter 20

Sorry for the delay. This chapter ran much, much longer than  
I thought and I had to try and find a good point to stop it… Not sure if you'll agree but just know that the next chapter will be up soon…

* * *

Chapter 20

Two weeks had passed since Bella's father and brother had died by the sword they often wielded against others. There'd been times that she second guessed her decision of what happened to her father but then she realised that there was nothing she could do to change that. It was during one of those 'reflection' times that Bella found herself sitting on a chair around the pool.

"Penny for your thoughts." She heard beside her. Bella looked up and smiled at the woman standing beside her.

"Just thinking…" Bella replied quietly. Esme Cullioni had quickly become a friend to Bella. She was a strong woman, of that there was no doubt, it just emanated from her. She was no nonsense too, she told you exactly what she thought and always backed them up with reasons why she thought the way she did. That was what Bella liked so much about her; they were similar like that. Oh, _and_ the way that that neither took shit from the men around them. She also mothered everyone around her, Bella and Jasper.

"Would you prefer to be alone?" Esme asked. Bella's hesitation was only brief while she thought, but then shook her head.

"No, not at all."

Esme smiled as she sat down on the chair beside Bella. "You've had a lot of big changes happen in your life over a very short time period. There's a lot to think about."

"Yeah, there is." Bella said as she stared out over the pool into the trees at the far end of the property. "Does it make me a bad person?"

"What darling?"

"Not burying my father. I know what he did and what he was and even thought I can say that I didn't like the person my father was very much, he was still my father and I remember a time that I loved him with all my heart."

"I never met your father, but I know plenty _about_ him. I know what he did to my children and I know _some_ of what he did to you. I don't want to hurt you in saying this Bella, but I think he deserved what he got in the end but as you say, he _was_ your father. I think it's normal to have the doubts you're having, I also think that over time your decision will sit easier." Bella nodded in agreement. Both women looked out over the property in a comfortable silence for a while before Bella spoke up.

"I think he had something to do with my mother's death."

Esme swung her head around and watched as a single tear fell from the corner of Bella's eye. If anyone was watching from a distance, they wouldn't have believed anything was going on, Bella showed no emotion other than that tear and Esme knew that only deep, long buried hurt could cause that kind of sadness.

"Why do you think that, Bella?"

"I was out here the other day with Edward, Jasper and Alice and something came up about my father and I commented about how the change in him only really started after mom's death. He was always tough but I remember how he loved her and it was only she died that he started treating me differently. Jasper gave me a weird look and when I asked him about it, he said that things were really bad between them before she died, that he was really angry with her over something. I thought it was weird that we could have different memories of our parents but then that night I was getting ready for bed and was thinking about what Jazz said… I had a… memory I think, pop into my head."

"What was it?"

"I remember walking… no, skipping down the hall past my father's office. I heard dad yelling really loud and even though that in itself wasn't unusual, I remember feeling… apprehensive. As I passed his office doorway, mom was in one of the chairs in front of his desk but almost laying down. Dad was standing over the top of her, breathing really hard and… the look on his face was really scary. Mom was scared too. When dad realised I was staring, he strode over to me, yelling at me to go up to my room and then slammed the door in my face. I didn't hear anything for ages but then my father yelled at me _'Move your ass, Bella'._ I don't think it was long after that that she died."

"How old were you when she died, Bella?"

"I was ten. I was old enough to know a lot of things a ten year old shouldn't know. I remember seeing my mother cry a lot before she died, even before that day in dad's office. She would never answer me when I asked what was wrong, she'd just say… _I'm just all over the place, Bella._ I never understood what she meant by that. There are a few other little niggly bits floating around in my head and I'm starting to wonder if she did something that pissed my father off to the point where he killed her."

"Have you told Edward about this or your brother?"

"No, not yet but this feeling…" Bella said tapping her finger against the centre of her chest, "… it's not going away."

"You need to talk to them. Jasper may know more than you realise and even if he doesn't, he and Edward may be able to find something at the house that may shed some light."

"You're right, thanks Esme." Bella said with a small smile.

"You're welcome darling girl. Now… you want to help me get everything ready for dinner?" she asked as she stood up.

"Yeah, I'd love to." Bella said before she got up and followed Edward's mother into the house. She knew that it would be a few more hours before the men were due to come home and she really needed something to take her mind of things for a while, and what better than cooking up a storm.

=X=

That night, after the men had come home and dinner had been eaten, Edward excused Bella and himself from the family as he wanted to talk to her. Opening the door to the bedroom, he waited for her to go in before him and then gently closed them inside.

Bella looked around the room she'd been given, it's white walls, white carpet and white furniture was a bit of a shock at first, she'd never seen anything so… bright before, the addition of the differing shades of lavender here and there around the room brought a sense of relaxation she'd been surprised to feel. The soft drapes of the sheer white material billowed down around the four poster bed only added to it all.

Bella had been surprised and a little dejected when she realised she'd been relegated to a guest room but Edward quickly alleviated her fears…

…" _I wanted you to have your own room, not because I don't want you to share mine but because things are still so new between us. A lot has happened to you over the last few weeks and not a lot of that has been good. I know that there are going to be times where you're going to want space, whether that be from me or everyone in this house or somewhere that you can go if you just want to have a cry in peace. It's up to you where you wish to sleep; you can come to me whenever you want or not at all. You know I want you. I want you always, Bella but I won't force myself onto you in any way. If you want me… this… then it's all here, you just have to reach out and take it, but I won't force it on you…"_

 _Bella had been so overcome by that simple gesture, the floodgates to her emotions opened up and she found herself in the same position as Alice had with her father only minutes before._

She smiled as she felt Edward's arms wrap around her waist.

"That was a beautiful meal, thank you." He said against her cheek.

"It was, wasn't it, but you'll have to thank your Mom, I only cut up a few veggies." Edward didn't say anything as he pressed a kiss against her skin.

He hadn't been the only one to notice Bella's low mood lately and it worried him, so instead of his normal line of work today, he'd been with Jasper organising a surprise, one he hoped she liked. Edward took a step back and took Bella's hand in his own before leading her over to the bed.

"I've got something I wanted to talk to you about." He said as they sat side by side.

"Okay…" Bella got the feeling that what Edward was about to say wasn't anything bad so she waited to hear everything he had to say.

"I know that both your father's and my own actions over the last month or so have derailed your life in a lot ways and I want to help put that back together if I can. I know that you said that going to college was a way for you to get skills that you could use to survive when and if you could ever find a way of escaping your father but… I got Jasper to take me to your college today to see if there were any repercussions of you missing so much. I explained that there'd been a death in the family overseas and your family only had hours to get to Italy. Then with everything that comes with that, you didn't think to call them."

"What are you saying?"

"If you wish to continue with getting a degree, even if you wish to change it to something you _want_ to do rather than _have_ to do… then you can go back. You can either live here or you can live in an apartment that I own that's closer to the college." Bella was shocked to the point where she couldn't put together an answer. "It's up to you, Bella. From now on, you choose the direction of your life."

What Edward just gave her was more than she'd _ever_ been given before in her life… the keys to her life, the choice to live it in any way she saw fit. He had no idea that there was nothing in this world her could give her from this day on that she would ever value more… She moved before she'd even realised but the feel of his body under hers and his lips pressed hard against her own soon brought her up to speed.

He tried to move back to talk some more but Bella was having none of it. Her body was lit up in a swirl of emotions that were so strong, that she knew of only one way to let them all out. As she ground herself down on his lap, Edward groaned and got with the program. They hadn't been together since they came home and the string that tied Edward's promise to himself, to let Bella come to him, suddenly snapped!

Bella felt the motion of being flipped onto her back and then sinking into the soft, down filled blanket that covered her bed. "I'm gathering you liked my surprise?" Edward said against her lips.

"We'll talk later… now shut up and fuck me." Bella panted out. The flash of desire that flicked back at her from Edward's eyes, made her smile… she knew what she'd just let loose and she couldn't wait.

"You fucking little minx." As Edward's mouth latched on hard to the soft skin of Bella's neck, she cried out in a loud, happy laugh; one that quickly turned into a moan as feeling shot down between her legs. Edward had no intention of wasting precious seconds to carefully unbutton the blouse Bella had on; using both hands, he grabbed a hold and tore it open. The sound of buttons popping and hitting any hard surface they came upon was heard in amongst the heavy breathing in the room. "God, I love these…" Edward moaned out as he palmed her left breast over her bra.

"That the only things?" Bella asked. When she felt Edward stop above her, she opened her eyes to see an intensity in his eyes that she felt deep into her bones. "What…?"

"No… they're not the only things." Edward said before leaning down to take her mouth in a gentle, sensuous kiss. As he kissed her, Bella tried to think of what his reply was to, what she'd actually asked him, but all thoughts quickly fell by the wayside.

As Edward kissed and stroked the woman underneath him, he watched as she became lost to her desire; he also admitted to himself the reality of the thoughts and feelings bouncing around in his head and heart. He knew early on that his feelings for her were more than a simple attraction or crush, more than a passing fantasy, they were real and intense and irrevocable.

For the first time in his life, Edward Cullioni was in love and he wanted so much to say the words he only just stopped himself from saying. But… he knew it was too soon, he knew that she couldn't feel the same way yet, especially given their past.

"I think _this_ is pretty damn special too." He said as his hand left her breast only to slip smoothly under the hem of her skirt and land solidly against her sex. The feel of his strong, knowing fingers moving against her body cleared all thoughts from her brain.

* * *

Sorry… I know this was probably not a good place to stop, but just imagine how good the next chapter is! LOL… Again, sorry for the delay, I had issues with my back. I never knew that controlled, one-at-a-time muscle control building exercises could be so bloody exhausting! Just try to flex ONE particular muscle in your back without tensing anything around it! Tis not easy! Hehehe

Anyhoo… Thank you all so very much for the reviews, they mean heaps. Sorry I don't answer them all, but with everything else going on, I figure you'd rather I write chapters instead!

See you all again next chapter and don't forget to let me know what you think!

Sandy


	21. Chapter 21

Sorry for the delay, author's note at the bottom. I'll let  
you all get to it! Sorry for any mistakes, I just wanted to get it out...

* * *

Chapter 21

The thought of stripping her completely nude left Edward's brain as fast as it had arrived; the sight of her laying on the bed with her skirt up around her waist, her bra pulled down under her breasts and the black lace G-string ripped open on one side and hanging off her leg was just too hot a sight to disturb.

He tried to take it slow, he _wanted_ it to be slow… but his want for this woman had doubled day by day since he was last inside of her. So, the instant Edward positioned himself between Bella's legs and ran the head of his cock through the dripping wet heat of her core, he knew slow was the last thing that was about to happen. He looked down and groaned loud; it was a sight he was sure he'd never look at with anything other than awe and hunger.

"Fuck you're gorgeous. There is _nothing_ about you that doesn't make me hard as fucking marble."

Bella couldn't help but giggle. It was an involuntary reaction to all of the emotions going through her as well as the look on his face; she couldn't explain it, other than barely controlled need… or hunger… yeah, he looked like he was about to consume her.

"Laugh it up, Princess," Edward said in a lowered voice full of promise. "I'm about to make you scream."

Edward didn't give her a chance to say a word. In quick movements, he wrapped his hands on either side of her hips and slammed himself inside of the woman who held his heart in her hands.

"Arrrhhhh…" Bella's body arched up as her head pushed back into her so soft mattress; her hands twisting into the blanket as her skin instantly broke out in goosebumps. The slight pinching pain of his sudden intrusion into her body quickly subsided into a feeling that she'd missed terribly. When she didn't feel him move, Bella opened her eyes to find him staring at her. "What…"

Edward had to literally bite his tongue to stop the I.L.Y words from jumping out of his mouth at that exact moment. The sight of her as she relished in her desire did things to him that he'd never experienced before, he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the words and his feelings to himself. All he knew was that he needed to do something to keep his mouth busy, something other than talking.

Leaning down, his hot, rough hands fanned out around her waist as they moved up and over the lace of her bra to capture and knead her amazing breasts. Quickly and decisively, he latched onto one of Bella's already hard nipples and drew it deep into his mouth; the taste and feel of the skin so very different to anywhere else on her body.

The sight and feel of Edward at her breast was almost enough to have her miss the moment he started to move… almost. Slowly, Edward pulled out, hovering just at the edge of her body; the feeling of Bella's tight body squeezing his cock made his spine tingle, a feeling that brought out his need to stake his claim on the woman underneath him. It was in that moment, that Edward let go of the last thread of self-control he had. His hips slammed forward, making them both cry out. Not seeing any hint of pain cross her face, only a gasping smile of pleasure, he did it again… and again; each stroke faster… deeper. The thought of slowing so as not to hurt her didn't even enter his mind because her body told him everything he needed to know.

Her eyes were shut, her mouth was open and gasping at the air, her skin was gooseflesh shining with sweat; her nipples, like rock hard pebbles that made his mouth water with want… but it was her pussy vice locked around his cock that commanded most of his remaining brain cells. The strong muscled walls of her body gripped his with a ferocity that stole not only his words but his breath.

Bella's eyes opened wide when she felt her body come alive at the edge of orgasm and she was instantly locked into the burning intensity of his eyes; eyes belonging to the man who meant the world to her. The feelings she could see swirling in the windows of his soul were so real, so intense… so reciprocated.

Edward was on the edge of coming yet caught in the thrall of emotions playing in Bella's eyes; passion, desire, pleasure… realisation, the last one lasting only an instant before she shattered beneath him. He would have asked what she'd suddenly realised but the feel of her tightening around him, her muscles kneading his flesh to the point of no return, made speech impossible. Every nerve ending was on fire and all gravitated to his balls in an instant; a growl vibrated through his body as he orgasmed.

Bella wasn't sure how long she was 'out of it', but as the orgasmic bliss slowly ebbed away, she realised Edward was still lying on top of her. She smiled at the feel of his hot breaths against the skin of her neck so she wrapped her arms around the tops of his shoulders and held him close.

"Holy…." Bella panted. "Shit…"

Edward couldn't speak just then but he could just manage a soft chuckle of amusement. After a few more seconds, he lifted his head and stared into Bella's eyes. Contentment radiated from her entire face and he was more than a little proud of the fact that he put that look on her face. Then his mouth took over. "I lo…"

He stopped breathing...

So did Bella…

 _Man up, Edward._ He thought to himself. "I… I don't want to scare you away."

"You won't." Bella whispered back.

Edward lifted a hand off the mattress and ran his thumb across the apple of her cheek. He swallowed deeply before gently pressing his lips against hers. "I never expected you, Bella. Not in a million years."

"I know."

"I'm in love with you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, you pulled me in and then you slowly but surely burrowed under my skin and right into my heart." Bella's eyes stung as her tears began. "Shhh, I don't think it's worth crying over, Princess." He said with a smirk.

Bella moved her hands to cup either side of his face. "Some would disagree…" Edward scoffed and shook his head. "Lucky for you, they're happy tears. I've felt many things for you since… well, you know, but the one I've never felt in your presence is fear, Edward; murder yes… but never fear. I can't say when exactly things changed for me but that pull you spoke of; it was there pretty early for me too. I love you too, Edward."

Edward couldn't contain the smile that pulled at his mouth, he didn't even try. He needed to seal the deal… with a kiss.

=X=

"Everything is ready, Brother."

"We only have one shot at this."

"Yes, I'm fully aware of that, Aro."

"That means there can be no more fuck ups, Marcus." Aro stared into the eyes of his second in command, waiting to see any flicker of doubt but there wasn't any. Finally he grinned and allowed himself to think of finally getting what was promised to him… his wife.

When the call had come through the night of the exchange that Charles Swan and pretty much his entire outfit had been wiped out by the Cullioni's, Aro's mind went straight into planning mode. It didn't matter that the father and brother were dead, what mattered was the deal… and Isabella Swan was his; signed, sealed and about to be delivered. The only ones not killed that night were the handful of low men that had been left to guard the mansion, men like Felix, so within hours of that call coming in, Aro had returned to Italy to get everything and everyone into place.

In the weeks before Aro and his brothers returned to America, Felix had stayed behind to rent a property for the Italian brothers and to act as their eyes and ears. His knowledge in regards to the area and the remaining Swan offspring was invaluable to them.

"Where's Caius?" Markus asked.

"He's on his way." Aro said as he sipped on his Sangiovese Grosso wine. The elegant wine, with its gentle scents of berry, cherry, spice and chocolate, was one of his few great pleasures; it relaxed him like nothing else. "Heidi needs to report in."

"Ah… Heidi. Do you plan to keep her once you bring your new wife home?"

"We'll have to see how well my new wife pleases me." Aro looked over to his brother to see an expression he'd see many times before. "Do you want her brother?"

"You know I do." Marcus said looking into Aro's eyes.

"Then it shall be done, she is yours." Marcus answered with a smirk and a nod of his head.

"Mi scusi sporgenza." One of the guards said, excusing his interruption. "Tuo figlio è qui."

"Excellent, send him in." Aro ordered with a smile.

"Padre." Caius greeted as he walked into the room. He looked over his shoulder at his father's goomah, a woman he was going to dig into once his father remarried, and ushered her forward.

"What is report?" Aro asked Heidi once she stood in front of him.

Once she lowered herself to her knees, Heidi looked up and rested one of her hands on her lover's legs. Aro shifted, cutting off the contact and in that instant everyone in the room knew she was no longer his. Caius smiled before his eyes landed on his uncle. The look in his eyes as they travelled across the woman's body told him one thing, Heidi was now his.

"There was no sighting of your fiancé sir until two days ago. Up until then, I had been working on one of the guards at the Cullioni's that Felix told me about. Apparently, she will be taking weekly outings with the Cullioni matriarch, Esme."

"Which day?"

"Every Wednesday, sir."

Aro nodded in thought then looked over to his brother. "Set it up." He looked back to the woman in front of him and wondered if he should have one more taste before handing her over. "Caius, show Heidi to my room. I'll be up shortly, so be ready."

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay… this chapter just didn't want to come out right. But persevering rewrite after rewrite, I finally got it done.

Translations:  
Mi scusi sporgenza. - Excuse me, Boss.  
Tuo figlio è qui. - Your son is here.

Also, just a little plug…. I wrote a one shot story back in June for Fanatic Fanfiction's Picture It Contest. Today, I found out that my story won 1st place Judge's Vote and 1st place Public Vote. How cool is that! Anyway, I'll be posting that up straight after this, so if there is anyone that would like to go and have a read of it, either search under my profile or tick the 'Follow Author' button under the review section.

Here's a summary.

Just To See You Smile.  
Sun, sand and surf, that's what is meant to be found at the beach, not sadness. One day a man sets himself a mission, to make a beautiful woman smile in a place that brought him peace.

It's a story of a good man's desire to try and brighten a woman's day in some small way. It's a feel-good love story written in a very different way than I've ever done before. So I'd love to hear what people think of it. It's rated K, so everyone can read it!


	22. Chapter 22

Sorry for the slow update… I know have a new computer! My other one got too full and decided it didn't have the energy to think very hard anymore… But, here we are and you'll be happy to know that Chapter 23 is already written and will be up in a couple of days!  
Hope you like it!

* * *

Chapter 22

"Are you sure?" Edward asked for the millionth time over the last couple of weeks. He couldn't believe the answer Bella had given him, he was sure she'd jump at the chance.

"Yes, I'm sure, Edward." Bella held out her hand and when Edward placed his hand in hers, she led him out to the chairs that bordered the pool. Once she got to where she wanted him, she turned to face him and then gently pushed him down. Standing in front of him and between his spread legs, she wove her fingers in the hair at back of his head and smiled. Since saying the words three weeks before, neither she nor Edward could stop saying them. "First of all… I love you."

Bella's heartfelt declaration was rewarded with an almost innocent smirk… almost. "I love you too, Princess."

Bella bent down and gently kiss the man who owned her heart and took a breath. She could very easily get carried away but she wanted to put his mind at rest.

"Second of all… I love that you went to all the trouble to find out about me resuming my courses in college. You know how much that meant to me, how much it _still_ means to me. But, I'll tell you once more why I'm turning your offer down. College was always a way for me to try and get some breathing room, you know… It was also a way that I could learn some skills so that if I ever got a chance to run, I would have some way to support myself while hiding and nursing is a skill that I could use in any country around the world. But I knew that I also had to pick a subject that would make him think about letting me go and when I told father I could use that knowledge for the family it was the one thing that swayed him in letting me go." Bella looked down as her brain took a quick trip down memory lane. Blinking her way back to the here and now, she turned to grab one of the other chairs and sat down in front of Edward.

"It was never something that I ever thought I'd be allowed to do… you know; go to college so that I could have a career. So I never grew up with that mindset of being a… a business woman or… anything really. So college was never something I yearned for, it was just means to an end and one I thought up when father started talking about marrying me off." Edward's heart broke a bit listening to Bella talk but he watched her carefully to make sure her words matched the emotions in her eyes.

"I still feel that way to a certain extent. In some ways it would be good to do something that I love doing but it's not a driving force in my life. So turning down your offer to go to college is not a sacrifice on my part, it's just that… it's just not something important to me right now. You never know, I may feel totally different in a few years' time and if that's the case, then I can always do it then. So please don't fret of my decision to not go back because I don't regret my decision." Bella leant forward and kissed Edward. "Besides, there's a lot for me to learn around here."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"Like your mom's favourite recipes and… my place in this family."

Edward's eyes bounced back and forth between Bella's for a few seconds before he reached out and pulled her onto his lap. "Your place will always be by my side, Bella. And the college option will always be open for you, Love, okay? If you ever change your mind, you only ever need to come and talk to me." He reached up and pushed her long brown hair behind her ear before nuzzling into the soft skin of her neck. "I love you, Bella. Your happiness is _my_ driving force."

"You're so cheesy, Mr Cullioni."

"Mmmm." He hummed with a smile. "So, you're going shopping with my mother tomorrow?" he said changing subjects easily. This was one thing Bella liked about Edward; he gave her options about things and then accepted her decision without trying to change her mind. In the case of college, he only kept asking because he'd fully expected her to jump at the offer and wanted her to be sure.

"Yeah, Rose and Alice are joining us as well. Jacob, Jasper and Riley are coming as the undercover muscle."

Edward smiled at her terminology. "Undercover hey?"

"Uh-huh, Jacob's going to be my man…" Bella giggled when Edward let out a growl and pinched her on her butt cheek. "Riley will be with Rose and well… Jasper and Alice can't keep their hands off each other long enough at the moment so…"

"Yeah well… as long as Jacob remembers when _not_ to put his hands, we should all be good."

Jacob Black had become a tentatively trusted associate of the family, his tie to Bella being the only reason he still breathed but it would be a long time before Edward trusted him completely. The only thing he completely trusted about Black was his love and loyalty to Bella so he knew she'd be safe while away from the house.

"You sure you can't join us?"

"I wish I could Princess, but I have a meeting tomorrow that can't be put off."

Bella nodded with an exaggerated pout. "Okay… but if things change, I'd love to have you with me."

Edward smiled at her desire to have him beside her but he couldn't think of anything worse than walking around shopping with the women of his family.

-X-

The next morning, Bella and Edward showered together, something that they both looked forward to with no small amount of eagerness. It would always start out with the best of intentions but as soon as Edward had wet, slippery skin under his fingertips, being clean was the furtherest thing from his mind.

Once dried and in their room, Bella walked into the large walk-in robe to pick out something to wear. Edward was almost completely dressed, other than his jacket and was pushing the small buttons into the holes of the cuff at his wrist when she walked out in nothing but black laced underwear and high heels; the dress in her hand didn't even register to him. When Bella saw Edward standing as still as a statue, his right hand at his left wrist and with a look of carnal hunger in his eyes, she couldn't help but smile in satisfaction, she liked that it only took a glimpse of her body to have him switched on and ready. It made her feel powerful to have a man such as Edward wrapped around her little finger.

Bella had seen quite a few well-dressed men over the years but none had ever made her look twice, she never realised that a man in a suit was her 'thing' but it was when it was on Edward. Not a word was said as he slowly made his way to her but he didn't need to, his eyes said everything. Without taking his eyes away from hers, Edward took the dress out of Bella's hand and dropped it to the floor. He reached forward and pulled the cups of her bra down, exposing her generous breasts, her nipples tightened under Edward's burning scrutiny.

Bella didn't miss the flash of mischievousness in his eyes and she was about to ask him what he was thinking when he bent down to take her flesh with his mouth. Two seconds was all it took for her mind to take a hike and for her body to hit the mattress; his lips and hands working quickly to build her arousal back up. So when Edward pulled away from her now heated, writhing body, it took a second or two for her brain to catch up. "No… come back."

The wickedness in his smirk had her narrowing her eyes. Edward licked his lips as he readjusted his erection and then his eyes roamed over her prone body. "Be a good girl today, my love. Buy me something nice and I'll take care of you when I get home."

"You're… leaving me like this?"

"Have a good day, Princess." Edward said as he walked over to Valet chair by the door. He grabbed his jacket and glanced over his shoulder, barely restraining his smile when he looked into eyes full of fire and brimstone. God, how he loved her fire… "Oh, by the way… no touching that pussy today, it's mine."

When Bella realised he'd wanted her hot and bothered all day, she grabbed the pillow behind her and threw it at the door where he stood, but by that time, he'd slipped out and shut it. His laughter on the other side made her growl out loudly in frustration. When that only made him laugh louder, she fell backwards and rolled her eyes; it was only a few seconds later that she started to smile. She loved hearing him laugh and loved that she seemed to be the only one who could make him do it so freely.

But then she quickly got her own devious thoughts… He wanted her to buy something nice… and she would.

 _Two could play at that game!_ Bella thought as images of everything she'd buy flashed through her mind.

* * *

Well… What do you think Bella is up to? What games is she about to play and who do you think will win in the end? Lol…

Sorry it's not a bit longer, but as I said before, next chapter is ready and will be up in a couple of days.  
Let me know what you think…

Sandy


	23. Chapter 23

Well, here the next one... Thanks to SassyNoles for giving this the once over!  
Remember, there's the Queens English spelling in this story. ;-)  


* * *

Chapter 23

Shopping had been fun and Bella had bought quite a few different things. Esme had just proposed going to a restaurant for lunch but Bella needed to stop off at a 'different' shop first.

"Actually, I need to get some things before we eat, why don't you guys sit and rest for a bit while I go do that."

"We can come…"

"No… No… um, it'll be faster if I go on my own anyway." Bella said nervously. "I promise I'll be real quick."

Rose was watching Bella as she became a little flustered. She looked over to Alice but she was distracted with Jasper. "I'll come too." When Bella looked like she was about to argue, she looked over to Jacob. "You and Riley can come with us, while the others can wait here right?"

"Sure, sure… That okay with you Mrs Cullioni?"

"Yup, my feet will appreciate the rest."

Before Bella could say anything else, Rose had looped her arm through hers and turned them around. Leaning down, she whispered in Bella's ear. "So… what naughty little toys did you have in mind, sister?" Bella's cheeks flushed scarlet red and Rose couldn't help but laugh.

=X=

Bella, Rose, Jacob and Riley had been in the adult shop for about ten minutes, the whole time Rose was shoving all sorts of weird and embarrassing things into Bella's arms. Only a few of those things she'd actually kept. When the women had reached the back of the store, they noticed that another room off to the right held more… interesting, items.

"Oh… now we get to the good stuff." Rose said with a smile. Bella laughed, though her cheeks still burned hot. "I'm getting some of this, Emmett will love it."

"I didn't need to know that, Rose."

"Why…? It's like shitting, we all do it and everyone knows it. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Quickly the women became engrossed in all the whips, chains, bars and gags that lined the wall. Embarrassment morphed into a hilarious schooling session of what Bella could do to teach her man a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. Bella grabbed a vibrator that looked more like Poseidon's trident and looked at Rose with an evil glint. "Take a picture, Rose…"

"Oh, you're bad…"

As Bella wrote out a quick ' _This looks interesting'_ text message along with the photo to Edward, both women couldn't contain their laughter. It was soon after that Bella felt a presence close behind her and was about to tell Jacob to wait out front for her but she didn't get the chance. A hand wrapped around her mouth and the cold steel of a gun pressed against her temple. Her eyes darted to her right…

"Don't make a noise, don't make me shoot you here, you hear me?" Bella nodded quickly and by the sound of the scuffle behind her, she realised that someone had Rose as well. "We're going to follow you out and you're not going to let your guard dogs know what's going on. Then you're going to leave the shop and go to the left. If you deviate from this in any way, you and your dogs will die where you stand, do you understand?"

Again Bella nodded her understanding. When the hand moved from her mouth she took a deep breath, hoping to calm her rapid heart rate. She looked over to Rose and found that she was still being held. "Let her go."

"You're in no position to make orders, Miss Swan."

"That's Mrs Cullioni." The man's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"You're not married. Do you honestly think we wouldn't know if that had happened?" When Bella gave no reply, he smirked at her. "Good try though; I'll give you ten points for thinking on your feet… now move and remember to be a smart girl and don't tip those two off."

"You're making a deadly mistake." Rose said.

"Shut your mouth blondey and you might just live to see tomorrow." He flicked the hand that held the gun towards the front of the store. Bella's mind whirled trying to think of how she'd get out of this as she moved past the man. As she walked, she realised that she still held onto some merchandise and she wondered if the girl at the counter would get hurt in an effort to stop her from leaving with them… but as she looked around, she didn't see her. The only other woman in the store was standing by the door talking to Riley. Jacob looked up and took in the emotionless faces of Bella and Rose and then flicked behind them at the two men that were snickering amongst themselves like two teenagers.

"You gonna pay for them?" He asked Bella as she walked towards him.

"No, why would I… you never made me pay for anything any other time you took me shopping." Bella said quickly. Both she and Jacob knew that he'd never taken her shopping before so she hoped that he knew what she was implying.

"Fair enough…" He glanced at Rose and noticed her tight jaw. "Oh, by the way Rose, Emmett just arrived and is on his way here with his mother and sister, when I told him where we were, he decided he wanted to buy some things too." When the woman who was talking to Riley heard what Jacob had said, she knew they had to leave while they still had the numbers and the element of surprise on their side, so she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Bella gasped out as she saw the woman whip out a gun and point it at Riley. "Come with me, Sugar." She said in a heavy Italian accent. She motioned to the back of the store and put enough distance between her and him as he passed. "I'll take care of him while you get them out of here." She said to the other two men.

Bella watched with dread as Riley walked into the shop and then her eyes went back to Jacob as he stood staring at the two men behind her. She knew all pretense had gone now, and the likelihood of them all surviving had just evaporated. "Let them go." She said.

"Oh, that'll happen, don't you worry." Said the man who had grabbed her before. "All of you move…" Bella dropped the things in her hands on the floor in front of her and then walked towards Jacob, a tear falling suddenly from her eye. "… you first, big boy."

Jacob turned around and in a move he hoped had been undetected, he reached into his jacket, pulled out his gun and shoved it into the waist of his suit pants for easier access.

"Go to the left." The man said from the rear.

Jacob walked as slow as he could without making it apparent that he was stalling for time, he needed to think of where he was headed, how he could get the women in front of him and take out the two buffoons while not attracting attention from other shoppers. When he was ordered to take another left into a 'Staff Only' access door, he hoped that this would be his opportunity. Once through the door and noting that they would be alone, he slowed once more, allowing the girls to close in. When he heard the door shut, he spun around with the gun in his hand, pushed through between the women and started firing as he pushed them to the ground behind him.

Bella watched in horror as he jerked backwards as bullets hit him, she glanced over to Rose to see her unconscious against the wall; obviously having hit her head. One of the two men was dead, the other bleeding but still upright. He hobbled over to where Jacob had slumped down against the wall and kicked the gun away from him.

"Stay down and your friends might just find you before you bleed out. I didn't come here to kill anyone, just take Mr Scali's fiancé back to him."

"I'm _not_ his fiancé. I'm nothing to him."

"That's not true, Miss Swan. Your marriage to Mr Scali was promised by your father and now he's come to collect you. Now, get up and _he_ will live." Bella glanced over to Jacob before looking back up to the man who was about to take her away. She looked over to Rose once more as she stood up and saw she was breathing. "Move…"

Bella walked backwards and watched as the man reached down to pick up Jacob's gun before he pushed her up the corridor towards the door at the other end. Once there, he told her to open it and go to the right. She saw a black BMW sedan and the woman from the shop was standing there at the rear door. "Where's Sam, Alonzo?" She asked as they closed in.

"He didn't make it." The woman opened the door and Bella could see a young blonde man inside. When she stopped walking, Alonzo pushed against her back. "Get in."

"Where are you taking me?" Bella asked.

"To my father." Caius said from inside the car. He'd seen Bella a few years before and was pleased to see how well she'd matured, she was now a woman instead of the gangly teen she had been. He was sure that after his father tired of her in a couple of years, he'd be able to convince him to give her to him. "Come on, _Mother,_ Father is waiting." He smirked as he patted the seat beside him.

"Fuck your father."

Caius laughed. "Oh… yes my dear, you'll get to that part soon enough, but the question is, will you be wearing white when it happens or not?"

When Bella screwed her face up, he let out a laugh, obviously reading the answer in her face. Once more she was pushed from behind and shoved into the rear door of the car. The move so unexpected, Bella fell forward and landed pretty much in Caius's lap. She scrambled away and pressed her back against the now locked door she'd been pushed through and looked into the smirking eyes next to her. "Don't move away on my account, I rather liked the view I had of you in my lap."

"Fuck off…" Bella sneered at him. "You won't get away with this; you or your fucked up father. Edward will hunt you down and slit your throats in your sleep."

Caius let out a whoop of laughter; he couldn't wait to see what his father thought of his new bride. He only hoped he could watch at least one tongue lashing from this feisty little spitfire before she pushed his father too far and he put a bullet between her eyes. "Oh, now I know why Cullioni kept you all to himself. I would bet his dick gets hard whenever he is around you… Culo!" he said smiling as he grabbed himself between his legs.

" _Vaffanculo!"_ Bella yelled as she gave him the bird.

Instead of saying another word, Caius just smirked. He didn't think it would take his father long to get tired of this one at all and he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into her.

Just then a screech of tyres outside pulled their attention away from each other. Bella's eyes widened as she saw Edward, Emmett, Garrett and Liam jump out of the first of three cars no more than sixty feet away. She turned and pounded on the window, yelling as loud as she could. Meanwhile many things happened at once.

Rose held Jacob up as they staggered out of the door in front of Edward's car, Bella could see Jake's wild eyes swinging around the car park trying to find her. Alonzo froze momentarily at the sight before him before jumping in behind the wheel; he knew he'd fucked up by leaving those two alive to send out a call for help. Edward swung his eyes around following the direction of where Jacob had started to run and ran to catch up.

The car Bella was in suddenly lurched forward, flinging her back into the leather seats of the BMW. "GO Alonzo! Lose them!" Caius yelled out.

* * *

A/N: Well…. Kidnapped again, she's doing well isn't she? LOL… What do you think is going to happen next? Will Edward get through the day without another bullet wound, will Bella?

Let me know what you think. Also, the next chapter is the last one before the Epi… So thanks for sticking with me.

Translations… These were taken from the net… ;-)

Culo: Culo refers to the backside but it also has a secondary meaning: luck or lucky.

Vaffanculo: This one can be pretty rude, but that makes it a good way to get your point across. When someone won't leave you alone, telling them to "Vaffanculo!" is the same as telling them to "Get the hell out of here!" but the meaning is stronger than this English translation.


	24. Chapter 24

Thanks for all of your reviews everyone, they're much appreciated. :-)  
Well, this is the last chapter before the Epi...  
See you at the bottom

* * *

Chapter 24

The men around Edward raised their weapons but as they started to fire, he roared out… "Shoot at the tyres and the driver. Bella's in back!"

One rear tyre was hit, making the car swerve wildly but it didn't stop it. Edward watched for only a second as it sped out of the carpark before running back towards the car he'd just leapt from. "Call Mom!" he yelled out to Rose, "…and get him fixed up." Seconds later, the three cars of Cullioni and his men took off after the BMW. "Tell me her tracker is still working!"

"Yeah, yeah… it is. She's just under a half mile ahead of us." Emmett said from the front seat. As Edward drove according to Emmett's directions, he heard a cell ring out from the back seat.

"Yeah…" Garrett answered. "Okay… I'll tell him, thanks."

"What?" Edward asked.

"That was Jasper; Jacob said that Scali's men took her. Said that he's collecting what was promised to him by old man Swan and that he was taking her back to Italy."

"Get Alec to head to the airport and to send out men to all airfields close by. … what direction are they heading towards, Em?"

"Towards the Gold Coast at the moment… If they're smart, they'll take us there where we can't really bring too much heat. Either that or it's where Scali is holed up."

"Garrett, call Connor. Tell him to bring Ben and Taylor and all the feet he can find. Send word out to all associates as well and spread a net over the whole district. I'm gathering that they'll come in through East Division Street so set up points along that route to look for the car. Actually, get Taylor on standby to organise a quick net out between where they'll stop and any nearby airfields." Garrett nodded at he started dialling and then relayed the orders and the description and plates of the BMW.

"They're pace has slowed, they obviously think we've lost them. They're just up ahead." Emmett said pointing out the car. "Liam, call back to the others to keep behind us, we don't want them spooked."

After fifteen minutes of constant misdirections in an effort to shake off any tail, the car pulled into an underground carpark of a near water front row house. "Front entrance is on North Richie Court." Emmett said.

"Find a way in Em."

"Working on it." Emmett went to work on the small computer that rested on his lap. "Huh… you'll never guess who lives three door up. Phil Dwyer's goomah,"

Edward pulled out his cell phone as he looked up at the classic red bricked house, full of old world charm and somewhere that Aro Scali would definitely hide out. He quickly found the number he was after. "Phil, Edward Cullioni… I need a favour and I need it now." Less than ten minutes later, Edward and all the men had access to the front and back of the small row of houses and they were on the move. Emmett and Garrett took to the roof and were going to get in from there, Liam joined Edward around the rear while Ben organised the front assault. Alec took four men down into the garage in case the rats tried to abandon ship.

Entry was quick. Everyone was on high alert, silenced guns out and ready as they moved silently through the house until yelling was heard above their heads. Edward took off for the stairs, taking two at a time and cursing the whole way. By the time he'd travelled the four flights of stairs, he knew his brother had reached Scali first and going by the outlay of the other floors, he knew he wasn't going to be able to sneak up on them. He stood three stairs down from the level everyone occupied and listened as he tried to get his breathing under control.

"Did you honestly think you were going to grab her and leave the country without a fight? You really should have stayed in Italy old man." Emmett said through clenched teeth. He could see Bella was scared as she was held tight in the arms of Felix, but nowhere near a panic.

"Oh, we'll leave alright." Caius sneered back. "If she was so important to your brother, where is he?"

Emmett didn't bother saying a word. He knew that if Edward wasn't standing right beside him by now, then he was waiting to strike from elsewhere in the house. Footsteps were heard coming up the stairs, a lot of footsteps. "Think old man… Her father tried to fuck with us and look where that got him. Hand her over and we'll walk away; no-one has to die today."

"Oh, we won't be dying." Markus said smirking.

"I wouldn't count on that, Fuckface." Bella said while looking at Emmett. He couldn't help but smile at the woman his brother loved.

"Garrett." Edward whispered into his phone. "You ready?"

"Yup… Here she goes…"

The smashing of windows was heard only seconds later; yelling, muffled gunfire and screams a second after that. Edward ran up the last couple of stairs with his gun drawn and slipped into a small office on the opposite wall. Down on his haunches, he ducked his head out and his eyes immediately found his brother behind some lounge chairs. Blood was slowly making its way down his arm but the smile and wink he sent his brother showed just how serious a wound it was.

On the other side of the room he saw Bella on the floor. Her rolled up position told him she wasn't too hurt, if at all, just trying to make herself as small as possible. _Clever girl…_ he thought to himself. He ducked back into the office and turned to look back at the stairs, Garrett was now looking back at him, obviously having made it down from the roof. A few quick hand signals indicating who went where and Garrett gave a nod in understanding. Edward watched as his instructions were relayed down the line, then Garrett looked back at him and held up three fingers.

Count down… Three… Two… One…

As gunfire boomed out around her, Bella winced and tightened herself into a ball on the floor but when she felt the sting of a bullet graze her thigh and hit the chair she was against, she knew she had to move. Her heart hammered behind her rib cage, her breaths coming out as if she was being chased by the hounds of hell themselves but she opened her eyes and looked around as best she could. Emmett and Edward were on the other side of the room both huddled behind a small single lounge chair that was a twin to the one she was near. Back near the window, the Scali's were behind the large three seater and at least one of their men was behind the now upturned coffee table. Looking back towards the stairs, she could see Garrett and Liam firing from the doorway of the small office and other men from the two stairwells.

Garrett's eyes connected with hers and she saw his eyes flicker down to where she could feel the air starting to cool the blood on her leg; a word to Liam had his eyes come to her as well. Garrett's hands flew in silent communication with the other men before he turned to look at her. He tapped on Liam's shoulder before standing up and letting out rapid cover fire. Liam darted out into the main room, indicating for Bella to get up and run… which she did and then layed cover fire, himself.

"Go up to the roof, Bella." Garrett yelled as she got near him. A quick nod and she ran to the small staircase that led upwards. She didn't stop until she was out in the fresh air.

"OH!" she yelled as she came face to face with a man. "Shit… Diego…"

"How bad is it?" He asked, indicating down to her leg.

"Just a scratch."

=x=

Once Bella was gone, Garrett took advantage of Liam's cover fire and advanced into the room. The two small lounges weren't good for cover, but they'd have to do. Garrett signalled that Bella was safe and on the roof then watched as Edward's face relaxed into the cold killer he knew him to be as near empty gun cartridges were swapped out for full ones. Game on…

He tapped Liam on the arm and indicated for him to go to the right of the small lounge and take out the others when they popped up; Emmett did the same on the other side of the room.

Felix popped up to take a shot but got a bullet between the eyes for his trouble. Then as one, the four men stood up and advanced.

Liam took out the priest behind the coffee table on the floor, something about his scowling face screamed 'bought and paid for'. So, then one by one, the Scali family stopped breathing.

Emmett pulled out his cell phone and rapidly typed out a text. Almost instantly, the phone silently buzzed in his hands. "Everyone's down, Alec's been hit down in the garage so they're taking him to Doc. There's a couple of other minor hits but they'll be fine and Diego's got Bella upstairs…"

"She got hit on one of her legs too, not sure how bad." Garrett said to his boss. Edward was running towards the stairs that led to the roof before Garrett had finished talking. Bursting out into the sunshine, his eyes bounced around until they landed on Bella.

"How bad?"

"Just a scratch, its fine… Are you hit, are you hurt?" Bella asked worriedly.

Edward shook his head as he pulled her into his arms and buried his nose into the warmth of her neck. "You're a fucking magnet for trouble, woman… I may never let you out of the house again."

Bella giggled at the words said against her neck, then squealed as Edward playfully bit down on the tender skin. "Well I did ask if you wanted to come shopping with us today." She said smartly. "Then you could have come into the sex shop with me instead of Rose."

Edward pulled back to look into Bella's eyes as he remembered the picture she'd sent to him… "So… did you plan on buying that Poseidon's dildo, Bella? You like the idea of being completely filled all at once, my kinky girl?" With that, he reached down and pulled her body into his, letting her know just how happy he was having her right in front of him.

"Oh… How are you hard right now, after everything downstairs?"

"A good gunfight pumps me up, love. Now I need somewhere to relieve the pressure." The smirk on his face only promised good things… "Care to help me with that?"

"Sure, Romeo… just not on this roof for everyone to see."

It wasn't the clear view around them that had Edward moving back towards the door, but the sirens he could hear in the distance. They may not be on the way to them, but he didn't want to stick around to find out.

As they walked down into the room of mass destruction, Edward saw his brother on the phone. "He's calling in Sam, Seth and the boys to help with the clean-up. Asked me to get Rose looked at as she was knocked out back at the shopping centre." Liam said as he made his way up the stairs from the floor below. Edward was about to ask him to take Bella down to the cars but stopped at the thought of letting her out of his sight.

"Stay here with Liam for a bit, I need to talk to Em."

Bella watched Edward walk off then turned to Liam. "Thank you, for everything. But mostly for keeping him safe."

Liam smiled at the small woman in front of him. She was tough as nails, everyone knew that but they also knew she had a soft side to her and that side was completely centred on Edward. The way they'd come together was often a source of jokes and friendly ribbing but every man under Edward Cullioni respected the hell out of her.

"Always, Bella." Just then Edward walked into the periphery of his vision.

"Just thought you'd like to know," Edward said to Bella, "Jacob is still breathing. Mom's working on him right now but expects him to pull through." It was a week after living with Edward that Bella learned that Esme Cullioni was a surgeon. That's what she was before meeting and marrying Carlisle.

"He jumped in front us, Edward. He pushed us to the ground and took those bullets…"

Edward had had a report come through of Jacob's injuries before they entered the house but Rose was out of it after hitting her head and couldn't give a proper account of what actually happened. He reached out and pulled Bella into his side thinking that he owed Jacob so much and what he could do to repay him, then looked up to Liam. "Come on, you can drive us to Dad's."

Before they started down the stairs, Bella stopped and turned back. "Emmett, when the cops get here, say that you're Felix, the place is rented under his name." He smiled and nodded to her before turning back to move the furniture around.

"How'd you know that?"

"I told Aro that when you found the place, he'd be dead and he told me that you'd never find it because it was under Felix's name and he'd come into the States under a false name."

"You never cease to amaze me, Princess." Edward said with a kiss to her temple. "Now, let's go see how Jacob's doing.

* * *

A/N: Well... what do you all think? Also, has anyone ever pinched a nerve in the back of their hand before? Well, I have... and let me tell you, it hurts... a lot! Does anyone have any good ideas to help it heal faster?

Till next time...

Sandy


	25. Epilgoue Part 1

Sorry for the delay in getting this epilogue to you all. We've had a rough few weeks in my family.  
Many, many years ago, my sister and I married brothers... 27 yrs for us, 37 years for my sister... Three weeks ago, my  
brother-in-law was diagnosed with advanced liver, lung and rectal cancer. (He thought the pain he was experiencing was from osteoarthritis in his back...)  
He's had a few goes with radiotherapy but on Christmas eve, they couldn't give his does as he was just too sick  
and now they think that chemo is no longer on the cards either.  
This has not been a very easy time and even thought the doctors won't give a time frame, they have said that he could leave us at any time from now to a few months... Just over a year ago, he had the bottom half of his right leg removed because of diabetes (different hospital) and we now know that the cancer  
was there in scans done back then but was either missed or overlooked...until now.  
The epilogue went on for longer than I thought so I had to split it into 2 parts, the second part will post  
either tomorrow or the next day... and then it'll all be done.  
Thank you so much for your patience and all of your wonderful reviews.  
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Sandy.

* * *

Epilogue

Three months later... 

Bella stood in front of the long oval cheval mirror admiring the white satin and lace corset set she held against herself; she'd picked it out as a surprise for her husband, she smiled every time she thought of Edward as that… her husband. After Aro had taken her from the shopping centre, Edward had become a little… over-protective.

She'd had to grit her teeth a time or two but it was always with a smile as she knew he was only like it because he'd realised how close he'd been to losing her that day. The little 'scratch' she thought she'd got from the stray bullet was a little more than a scratch, it had actually torn right into the muscle of her thigh like a hot knife through butter. The heat of the bullet had cauterised part of the flesh on its way through and stemmed a lot of the bleeding. It wasn't until they'd got into the car and her adrenaline rush had started to ebb that she realised how much pain she was in… well, she felt it a little before then but in the car, the pain got to the point where she could no longer hide it from Edward.

When they'd arrived at his parents' house, he'd had his father look over the wound and dress it so that when his mother came out from operating on Jacob, she could stitch it up. Carlisle had helped his wife on more than one occasion over the years and had quite the bedside manner… Bella still smiled when she thought of the teasing Edward gave his father, calling him a nurse…

Jacob had pulled through his surgery with flying colors and recovered quicker than she thought was possible. Rose was fine within a couple of days, having suffered only a mild concussion; she was as fed up with Emmett's hovering as Bella was getting with Edward's. Alec on the other hand didn't come out of his shooting as well as Jacob. He'd suffered a shot to the leg which had shattered his thigh bone. Esme had plated and screwed it together as good as she could but he would forever walk with a pronounced limp; but it didn't make him any less deadly.

A sound behind her had Bella snap out of her thoughts.

"Hey Bella." Alice said as she stuck her head through the bedroom door. "You ready to get started yet?"

Bella smiled as the women of her family walked through her door but groaned when Esme pulled in some sort of trolley contraption in behind her. Bella could only guess as what torture devices were inside.

"You excited, Bella?" Rose asked.

"Of course I am. I never would have thought in a million years that this day would be one I was actually looking forward to, but I am… well, I was until you brought _that_ in here." She said indicating to the small trolley.

"Oh be quiet you… It's not going to be that bad." Alice said. Bella looked back at the three grinning women and wasn't sure she believed that statement.

Two hours and fourteen minutes later, Bella once again stood in front of the large cheval mirror and admired what she saw reflecting back at her. Her nearly mother and sisters-in-law and had primped and preened her within an inch of her life, but she couldn't help but smile at the result. She looked beautiful…

The dress she stood in was new yet not. It was actually a remake of the dress her mother had worn at her own wedding. Jasper knew how much Bella had loved the dress when she'd been growing up and had commissioned a replica to be made for her. The A line dress made of antique lace and soft, white silk spoke of a time long ago with its high neck design and long fitted sleeves that billowed out from the middle of her forearms. The form fitting bodice modernised it just a little but what Bella loved most of all was the Cullioni crest that had been hand embroidered into the bottom of the large silk train that fanned out over the floor behind her.

"I was so pleased to see this dress when Jasper showed it to us," Esme said smiling. "… and even more pleased when you liked my veil."

"I couldn't think of anything more fitting, Mom." Esme still beamed every time Bella called her that. The first time was the day they'd come to wait for Jacob's surgery to finish. It had been a long time since she'd had a mother figure and even after standing for hours on end patching up a man who had once been an enemy of their family, Esme Cullioni had walked up and wrapped her arms around Bella as if she was her own child that had been taken.

A soft knock at the door had all the women turn towards it. "Can I come in?" Jasper asked softly. Instead of answering, Alice walked over and opened the door just a fraction.

"Close your eyes." She said smiling. Bella heard her brother chuckle softly a moment before Alice pulled him into the room. Bella turned to face her brother and Esme and Rose fluttered around fixing her dress. When Jasper opened his eyes, his breath caught and his eyes watered at the vision in front of him. He couldn't get over how much Bella looked like their mother in that instant.

"You're stunning, Bella, absolutely breath taking." He said as he walked over to wrap his arms carefully around his twin sister. "Mom would be so proud of you; I hope you know that and so am I."

"Oh God, don't make me cry, Jazz." Bella said in a tight voice.

"Yeah, what she said." Rose said beside her. Everyone laughed but they all were a little choked up.

"Are you ready, little sis?" Jasper asked as he pulled back to look at his sister. He was so very proud her. Proud to call her his sister and in awe of the strength she'd shown since the nightmare of their lives began all those months ago.

"Yeah, little bro…" It was a standing joke between them. Just because Bella was a few minutes older than him, didn't mean anything as far as Jasper was concerned. Bella had always been smaller than him and he never let her forget it.

"Good because I don't know how much longer Emmett and Jacob can keep your intended from coming up here to collect you himself." Jasper never thought his life would end up the way it had, especially not living and working with people he'd been brought up to believe where his enemies but now, he wouldn't have it any other way. There was honour and loyalty in his new family that he never thought was possible in the world he'd been born into and it hadn't taken long for him to know that he'd die for any one of the Cullioni's.

As everyone in the room laughed at the image of two huge men having to hold Edward back, Jasper pulled Bella's hand into the crook of his arm and looked down at his beaming sister. "I love you, Bella and I'm so happy that you've found someone who loves you so completely."

"Same back atcha brother. Who would have thought, huh…" she said as they walked out of the room.

=x=

"I now pronounce you, husband… and wife." The priest said laughing. Edward hadn't waited for the priest to finish the proclamation before he pulled Bella into his arms and kissed her with as much passion as possible while in front of so many eyes.

"Okay brother, we get it… you're in _looooove_!" Emmett yelled out laughing. By the time the newlyweds broke apart, the whole congregation was laughing at the exuberance of their leader, it was something that many had never thought Edward had in him. At any other time, he would have threatened to shoot them all for such behaviour but he was currently in too good a mood to think about anyone other than his wife…

Edward smiled as the word filtered through his mind. He never thought this day would come or at least that he'd be happy as he was about it. He also couldn't wait to have a moment alone with his wife.

As the couple turned to face their friends and family, Bella looked up to her new husband and found him looking back at her with a look she knew quite well. "What are you planning in that handsome head of yours?" Bella asked quietly.

"Be a good girl and you'll find out."

=x=

Edward smiled and accepted all the congratulations given to him and his wife on the way down the aisle, with more restraint than he realised possible but he knew that once he reached the end of the red carpet, there would be no stopping him… and that's exactly what happened.

"Edward…" Esme called out behind the couple. "Where are you… Oh!"

"Edward!" Bella giggled as she grabbed the front of her dress in an effort to keep up with her husband's long stride. "We can't…". She knew by the look he gave her at the alter that he was not going to wait until the celebrations had come to an end to consummate their marriage but she didn't think he'd whisk her off straight away.

"Who says, Princess. I'm the boss around here, so who in their right mind is going to try and stop me?" Bella laughed as she got with the program and ran in front of Edward, heading straight for the stairs that lead up to their private wing. "Now that's the sort of enthusiasm I want to see."

It was only after Edward shut the door behind them that the laughter and ribbing shouts of everyone downstairs, finally became silent.

"You are _so_ bad. You do realise that everyone's going to know what we're doing up here, right?"

"Mmm, I'm sure they do." He said as he took a step towards her. He reached up and undid his tie… "But here's the thing…" While keeping his tie in his hand, he started to undo the buttons of his shirt. "The moment you walked into my line of sight and took a step on that red carpet, my cock was hard as a rock and demanded his rights to take what was his."

Bella's breathing and heart-rate sped up as she watched her husband strip with each step he took. She matched his steps with ones of her own but hers were retreating… towards their king sized bed. Her mouth watered as she watched his hand lower to his belt. "Demanded, huh? Well, you could have told him that he had to wait like a good little boy…"

Edward smirked at her breathless reply, "You know very well that there's nothing little about him, Princess and just how demanding he can be." Edward's eyes roamed freely over the woman in front of him. He could see how her skin flushed as her eyes followed his hands down to his belt and could imagine just how excited she was underneath all of that white silk and lace. "On the bed, Isabella."

 _Isabella…_ Bella shivered as Edward practically growled out her full name. It was rare that he'd call her that now but when he did, it always meant she was about to be taken hard and fast. She gathered up the long material of her dress and without taking her eyes off her stalking husband, she climbed backwards onto the mattress then sat down.

"Hold out your hands."

"Fuck…" she whispered as she quickly complied. With his breathing now matching Bella's, Edward's jaw clenched in anticipation as he tied his silk tie around her wrists. Her unfaltering trust in him still pulled at his heart every time she gave it to him, it was something he'd never take for granted. He climbed up onto the bed and moved so that he straddled her hips.

Edward leant down and ghosted his lips over hers and whispered… "You are without a doubt, the most exquisite creature on this planet."

"I'm a creature…?" she giggled breathlessly.

"Mmhmm…" Edward murmured as he licked her lips. "Especially when you growl and pant and scream like a banshee."

Bella's whole body was on fire but she couldn't help but laugh at Edward's words. "Only for you." She replied as she lifted her head off the bed and kissed her husband hungrily. Their tongues slid fiercely against each other in an erotic dance learnt from lots of practice.

Edward growled as he pulled away, his eyes burning a path down the white satin of her wedding dress; the dress he planned for her to be wearing while doing a number of dirty things. It was only the fact that he knew just how many tiny buttons ran down the back of the dress, that kept him from stripping her naked; he knew he wouldn't get all night to feast on his wife before his brother came to drag them back down to the party.

As Edward moved down her body, Bella went to reach for him but realised her bound hands were now tied to the headboard of their bed. "When did you do this?" she asked.

"When you were distracted, my love. As much as I'd like to, we can't be up here all night and if you put your hands on me, that's exactly where we'll stay. Now… lay back and let me eat my entrée."

"Oh fucking hell…" she said as her head fell back to the bed.

Edward smirked as he moved to the bottom of the bed. He wrapped his hands around her ankles and pushed them apart. His thumbs circled the small jutting bones and his mouth watered as the scent of her arousal finally reached him.

"I can smell you already, Isabella." He said as his hands slipped under her dress and slowly made their way up her stockinged legs. When he reached the middle of her thighs, he could feel a band of lace under his finger tips and with not much searching, he came to the clip of hidden suspenders. He admitted to himself that the fact that everything was still hidden under the volumes of white silk turned him the fuck on. With deft fingers, he flicked the small clasps open front and back on each leg then continued up as he watched his wife's beautiful face. Edward loved how responsive his wife was and how much she craved him. He'd heard so many men complain over the years about their less than attentive wives and how they found satisfaction in the many other women on the side, he actually wondered if that's the reason he was never in a hurry to marry. Growing up with parents who were loving and committed to each other, he had no desire to have a wife and others on the side, so the fact that Bella's libido was a high as his, he knew he'd hit the jackpot.

The instant his fingertip came into contact with saturated, soft skin between her legs, Edward let out a moan of desire. "These are new." He said of the crotchless panties she obviously wore.

Bella's eyes opened as her back arched up. "Surprise…"

Edward couldn't wait anymore. Billowing up the material, he fell to his stomach and ducked under her dress and sure enough, before his very eyes, Bella's pussy was front and centre, framed in a lacy pair or peek-a-boo panties. It was a beautiful sight but he wanted more access than what they provided but before he removed them, he had to have a taste.

The moment Bella felt her husband's hot, wet tongue against her sensitive skin, she let out a moan that made her flush. She knew what he'd found under her dress and as much as she would have loved to have seen his reaction, seeing the shape of his body hidden under her dress more than made up for it. Then she felt her panties being pulled down.

 _Oh fuck… I love his tongue!_ Bella thought to herself.

Edward didn't waste time. Once her panties were off one leg, he attached his mouth to his wife's pussy with a vengeance. Her soft musky taste was all the aphrodisiac Edward needed; although her sounds and hair pulling didn't go unappreciated either. He was more than content to stay exactly where he was but he knew he couldn't take too long in their bedroom so he ate her hungrily until Bella exploded around his tongue.

"You are so good at that." She said breathlessly as Edward fought his way out from under her dress and moved up between her legs; the sight of his messed up hair and wet face made her giggle. He couldn't help but laugh under his breath at Bella's blissed out face. He secretly loved that look, it made him feel like a king.

"Not as good as I am at this." He said as he lined himself up and slammed his way inside his wife's willing body. His body shook and broke out in goosebumps at the feeling of her body gripping his. "Fuck, you feel better every time Princess, every fucking time…"

He fell forward on one hand while the other grabbed under her left knee. "Hold on tight, beautiful…"

Once Bella's legs were around his waist, Edward gripped her hips and consummated their marriage with a smile on his face.

* * *

Well, as I said up top, the 2nd part of the epilogue will be posted either tomorrow or the next day... So, thank you all again...


	26. Epilogue Part 2

Thank you everyone for your reviews and your best wishes for my brother-in-law. It's very much appreciated. But if you could all send a  
prayer for my sister, Vicki... for strength over these next couple of weeks or months, she's going to need it.  
Anyway, here's the the 2nd part of the epilogue... I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Epilogue Part 2

Three years later.

"Oh fuck…"

"Really?"

"Yeah, really…" Bella said as she looked over to Alice. She bit her lip anxiously as she looked down at her hands.

"Well… Look at it this way, you're getting it all over and done with quickly."

"That's not helping, Alice." Bella said frowning. She wasn't sure how she felt really, other than sick... she didn't know if she'd be able to cope. "What am I going to do, Alice? It would be just my fucking luck that there's two in there again."

When Bella heard a soft laugh, she looked up and stuck her tongue out.

"Even you couldn't have that much bad luck… I hope. When are you going to tell my brother?"

"Tell me what?"

At the sound of Edward's voice behind her, Bella spun around and hid her hands behind her back. The action was instant and as usual, it didn't escape her husband's notice. His eyes flicked downwards as one brow flicked upwards in question. Bella swallowed as she tried to think of a way of delaying this but as Edward walked towards her, she knew she couldn't.

"What's going on?" Edward asked. Without another word, Bella brought her hand around and held the little blue and white stick in the palm of her hand… Edwards eyes zeroed in and widened almost comically and if it weren't for the fact that Edward and Bella had three month old twins sleeping down the hall, she would have burst out laughing. "You're fucking with me, right?"

"Nope, she's not… daddy dearest!" Alice said with a smile. She rather enjoyed seeing her older brother lost for words, it didn't happen very often. In fact, the only time she could recall it ever happening was since Bella had come into his life; she often threw him for a loop. "I always thought you were supposed to get less fertile as you got older, not the other way around!"

Edward couldn't stop the smirk that formed on his face; he couldn't help but feel just a tad manlier, knowing how easily he was able to get his wife pregnant. He tore his eyes away from the pregnancy test and looked at his wife's worried face. "We'll make this work, Princess." He reached out and pulled her into his embrace then looked over to watch his sister walk out of their bedroom.

"What if I'm having twins again, Edward, I can't do four kids under a year old… I'll go crazy!" Bella mumbled against his chest. Edward snorted a laugh and kissed her head, he was about to say that she already was but didn't think it was the time for jokes.

"We'll hire a nanny."

Bella practically jumped out of Edwards arms and then shoved her hands on her hips. The look on her face almost had Edward cover his balls. "I'm _not_ having some blonde, big-jugged floozy living in _my_ house where she can shove her _perky_ , childless _tits_ in your face all the time! If that's what you think mister, you've got another thing comin'!" Bella yelled.

Edward couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. He loved her rants and if the little plastic stick in his hands didn't prove she was pregnant, this unexpected blow up certainly did. "Bella, calm down woman…for fuck's sake; we'll get one that's old enough to be my mother okay." He said still laughing. When he noticed Bella wasn't laughing with him, he reached out and pulled her back into his arms. "Babe, we've got… seven or eight months to work this all out, okay. Don't stress about it now."

"You and your fucking sperm…" Bella grumbled. "I can't believe you got me knocked up again."

"Well, I've been telling you along, Princess… I'm just _that_ good!" When Bella gasped and started playfully punching him, Edward laughed and picked her up into his arms so that he could look into her eyes. "Make an appointment with the doc and we'll go get you checked out, see what's goin' on exactly. Sound good?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Edward smiled at the pout his wife was giving him before leaning forward to suck that bottom lip into his mouth. Before they could get too carried away, soft cries were heard through the small monitor sitting on the bedside table.

"Speaking of babies, sounds like Adam and Dominic want their mummy." Adam Edward and Dominic Carlisle Cullioni were identical and splitting images of their father and Bella couldn't be more pleased about that fact, she couldn't wait to watch them grow in the handsome men she knew they'd be.

"I don't know; they may want their daddy…" Bella said with a smile. She loved seeing the look of utter happiness and love that would flicker in Edward's eyes when she called him 'Daddy'.

=x=

The next afternoon, Bella and Edward walked out of the doctor's office with a conformation of pregnancy and an appointment for a scan in a week's time. As much as Edward knew that having another baby so close to the twin's birth was not going to be easy for Bella, he couldn't help but feel happy. Three and a half years ago, he had nothing… now, he had a wife who kept him on his toes yet he adored her wholeheartedly, two babies and another on the way, (he wasn't even thinking it could be more than one) and a life he truly loved waking up to each morning. But if anyone had told him back then that he'd be happy to be where he was now, he would have shot them for talking such shit.

The following week Bella walked into the doctor's office with a fussy Dominic in her arms and Edward following close behind smiling down at Adam who grinned back at him from the pram. Both parents were nervous of the possibility of another multiple pregnancy, yet only one would freely admit to it. The doctor who delivered the twins welcomed them and had Bella lay down on the bed near the ultrasound machine.

After Edward took his now calm son into his arms, Bella got situated and the doctor smiled down at her. "Okay… let's see what you've got cooking this time, shall we?"

"Not funny, Makenna." Bella said dryly. The two women had formed a friendly relationship throughout Bella's first pregnancy and as such, Bella could see the doctor was only just keeping her mirth about this new pregnancy under wraps. "Go on… get it all out."

"What?" Makenna replied innocently. When Bella just raised a brow, the other woman started to giggle before looking over to Edward. "I'm wasn't going to say a thing."

Edward snorted in amusement and was about to say something when Bella gave him a look that dared him to speak, he shut his mouth before pretending to play with his sons. There was not a hope in hell he was going to bring up the conversation he'd had with Makenna at Bella's 6 week follow up appointment about his 'super sperm' getting her pregnant again within the next six months. When he looked back at his wife, he was pleased to see the small smile on her lips. He gave her a quick wink and mouthed 'I love you' before Makenna squirted gel onto Bella's stomach.

=x=

One month after Edward and Bella's scan, they were finally ready to tell the rest of the family their news; they were actually quite surprised that Alice hadn't already spilled the beans. The sound of everyone talking around the table was something that Bella loved, after growing up in the house she did where she either ate alone in her room or at the kitchen counter with the cook, she relished in the feeling of family she'd got when she married Edward.

Bella looked up to see Edward looking back at her with a raised brow and when she smiled at him, Edward cleared his throat gaining everyone's attention.

"Bella and I have some news that we'd like to share with everyone." Edward said with a smile. "In another six months, our family will be getting a little bit bigger."

Esme gasped as her eyes bounced from her son's radiant face to her daughter-in-law's and back again; their smiles mirrored each others. "You're pregnant again… so soon?"

"Well, what can I say…" Edward said with a smug look. Bella groan and rolled her eyes, like she'd done a million times over the last month when she found her husband looking at her like the most self-satisfied man in the world. "…I'm just…"

"Don't you say it…" Bella said with a gentle kick under the table. She turned to the woman who had quickly become her mother and answered her question. "Yes, we're expecting again… with twins… _again_."

There was a beat of shocked silence before everyone exploded in laughter and congratulations.

"We're gonna have to get busy Rose, to catch up to these two." Emmett smiled to his wife. Rose was now two weeks away from her due date of delivering their first child and was in that stage where she was fed up and just wanted the pregnancy over with already, so the glare Emmett received was a little frosty… not even 'the grin' and wagging eyebrows softened the look she gave him.

"You come anywhere near me with that thing in the next six months without a rip-proof raincoat on and I'll string you up by your balls, Emmett Cullioni."

Everyone burst out laughing at the horrified look on Emmett's face.

Jasper came up to his sister and wrapped his arms around her. "I can see I don't have to ask if you're happy about this little sis."

"No, you don't. It's all happening a little earlier than we'd planned but they're obviously meant to be a part of this family. I may call upon you and Alice to babysit every now and then though."

"I'm sure my wife would love to look after her little nephews." He said before kissing his sister's cheek. Jasper and Alice married a little over six months after Edward and Bella and came back from their honeymoon already pregnant. Little Lillian Maria Swan made a dramatic entry into the world two weeks early after Alice learnt Jasper had been shot in an arms deal that didn't go to plan. It wasn't a life threatening wound but she didn't know that at the time. Lilly was a beautiful, bubbly little girl with hair as dark as her mother's and eyes as bright blue as her father's; she was their pride and joy.

"All right people, I'm still hungry." Edward said reminding people of what they were doing before their announcement. Once everyone was sitting back down at the table, Edward reached over and took Bella's hand in his own. "I love you, Mrs Cullioni."

"I love you too, Mr Cullioni, even with your super sperm."

Edward laughed out before reaching over to pull her smiling face to his own. "Thank you." He whispered against her lips. Those two words didn't quite feel like enough in Edward's mind for what he was thanking Bella for. In so many ways, his life hadn't changed but that was his life outside the four walls of his home… inside was another thing altogether; the difference in him was enormous to those who knew him well. He was but one man before, now he was one half of a whole with two infant sons that made him feel more love than he ever thought possible and he had another two children on the way… He wasn't sure what he hoped Bella was carrying; another two sons that would one day have the house brimming in more testosterone than he thought he'd live through or two daughters who were mini versions of their… mother… He glanced at his wife and shuddered at the thought of having another two Bella's in the house. He loved his wife dearly but he had enough problems having to deal with her fiery temperament, he knew he couldn't handle three. So, as all expectant fathers do, he quickly sent up a prayer for another two sons.

=x=

"Welcome to the club, Brother." Emmett said with a barely contained smirk.

Edward glared at his brother before looking down to the two bundles in his wife's arms. "Fuck off, Emmett."

"Edward!" Bella hissed out.

"What?"

"Watch your language."

Esme and Carlisle couldn't contain the snicker of amusement at their tougher than nails son, being chastised by his 5 foot 7 wife who currently had her arms full of babies.

"Seriously?" Edward looked at his wife with a raised brow. "They have no idea what I just said, plus, he's pissing me off." Bella just shook her head before looking back at her babies with a tender smile. She loved her foul mouthed husband and secretly, she didn't want him any other way.

"At least you got half your wish, son." Carlisle commented. "Be thankful you didn't get two daughters." Everyone was well aware of Edwards thoughts on having daughters and the reasons for it, but now looking down to his new born daughter, he thought that maybe having another girl in the family wouldn't be all _that_ bad.

"She's going to be the new princess, in the Cullioni household." Emmett said. "I pity the boy that comes knocking for a date in fifteen or so years."

"Fifteen…" Edward snorted derisively, "More like twenty years. And if some shifty assed, punk nosed, pussy plunging, brown nosed fuckwit thinks…"

"EDWARD!" Bella yelled out, startling the babies. Edward's voice was rising with each word that came out of his mouth, his face more murderous… All around everyone in the room, other than Bella and Edward were now laughing and the babies were fussing.

With a deep, almost calming breath, Edward bent forward to pick up his now fussing daughter. "I'll protect you from all the nasty boys, Emily, don't you worry." He whispered as he kissed the so soft skin of her forehead; he relished in the amazing scent that only came with a new baby. As he settled Emily into the crook of his arm, he smiled down at her little pouty, cupid bow lips and felt a wave of protectiveness wash over him, much like the one he experienced with her mother and brothers before her. It still amazed him that he could feel this much love and not have his body explode from the enormity of his feelings.

He looked up when he heard a sniffle, into the smiling yet thoroughly wet eyes of his wife. "I love you so much, Edward."

"I love you too, Bella. More than I can put into words. Thank you, for everything you've brought into my life." He bent down and kissed his wife gently yet with so much emotion it sent shivers throughout Bella's body.

As Edward looked into Bella's eyes once more, he could see everything that wasn't being said. He never questioned her love for him, even after everything that had brought them together. Everything about her radiated love and trust and he silently thanked God every day for sending her to him.

The door to their private room opened and Edward's eyes were drawn immediately to his two oldest sons. Jasper and Alice had looked after them overnight after Bella had gone into labour and brought them to the hospital to introduce them to their baby brother and sister.

As Edward sat beside his wife on her bed and watched Adam and Dominic with Emily and Joshua, his parents, his siblings and their families... he thought about how much his whole family had changed since one tiny yet fierce woman came into his life… everything he had now was because of her… his Isabella. If he'd known back then what he was gaining when he snuck up behind her, pulled her fighting body into his arms and stole her from her family, he was certain that he would have taken her much sooner than he did.

Edward Cullioni once thought he had everything he wanted... until he realised he'd had nothing, nothing that really mattered.

He knew differently now... now he knew he had everything, all because of a series of choices.

He'd made a choice to kidnap his enemy's daughter and do the deed himself.

He'd made a choice to talk to her, know her, let her in... to love her and keep her.

So many choices... and he'd make them all again in a heartbeat.

=x= The End =x=

* * *

Well, that's it... I hope you enjoyed it. I know of a woman who was a twin and she and her sister both fell pregnant at the same time... with twins and then one went on to have a second set of twins 2 years after the first set... I think I'd go crazy if that were me! lol... I love my boys but I stopped at 2 for a reason! hehehehe

I'm currently working on another story but I won't post that until I have it all written. Not sure what my next few months is going to be like and what my sister is going to be like after it's all over, so I'm hoping that I can get it up soon.

Thanks again for everyone's reviews since starting this story, they've meant so much.  
For those that celebrate it, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I hope everyone has a great New Year... Roll on 2016! :-)


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